Detachment

^{Matthew 19: 21-30}

 ^{The Reward Is Jesus}

²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²² When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

²³ And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” ²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ²⁷ Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” ²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

We live in a material world and the temptation is to put more emphasis on material goods rather than on what really matters. The rich young man, as much as he wanted to do "more", could not release himself from his "treasure." and "went away sad." Yes, it is sad when we place more value on the material than on the spiritual.  We can touch, hoard and use our material goods for immediate pleasures, but even more satisfying are the spiritual heights that become accessible when we turn aside from the material.  Yes, we need food,clothing and shelter, and "things" to enjoy and with which to work, but when they interfere with our relationship with others and with God, they have overstepped their bounds. A balance is needed, a "detachment" which will free us to put God first, and use our "wealth" or material goods to serve him and help others. May our reflection on this passage help us move closer to achieving that balance.

Bro. Rene