February 3, 2003 Monday
Are You Lacking? (Mark 10:17-22)

Is there an obstacle that has settled in your life that is keeping you from loving the Lord the way you should be? We are often deceived into thinking that our lives are fulfilled as long as the barriers between us and God are only minimal, but if we have any barriers whatsoever then Christ has these words for our heart, "One thing you lack..." (vs. 21). The young man in this passage had only one thing keeping him from experiencing God's salvation personally and Christ was not satisfied, He wanted to see the barrier collapse. We are told that before Jesus spoke these words to the young man that He looked at him and He "loved him." When the words of our Lord cut to our heart with such precision we should always remember that He has already looked at us and loved us before the words are even spoken. Jesus then told him, "Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." Christ still speaks these same words to all of us today; He tells us to go our way and annihilate anything that is standing between us and Him, and then we can "take up the cross" and follow Him. We must choose a path...allow Christ to bring the barrier down or become like the young ruler who was "sad at this word and went away sorrowful". Where are you lacking?