The Final Step Part I.

Mark 10:21
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

If you remember about two and a half weeks ago, I talked to you about climbing up a mountain being comparable to your relationship in Christ. Well, God is calling you to the peak of the mountain where you can reach the climatic spot of his abundance. It all comes down to whether you stay camped out or you climb. If you climb, you're choosing Jesus to be the Lord and guidance of everything in your life. You've probably asked him into your heart many years ago, but now it's time to do more: serve, love, and receive his precious treasure.

So many people make Jesus just a house guest. They say, "Jesus, I know you're there, but I'm still the ruler of the house so I'm going to make all the decisions and rules in my life." By doing this, however, you'll never experience God to the fullest extent possible. It is only completely evident when Christ owns your life!

The man in today's scripture approaches the Lord because he realized that something was missing in his life. He asks Jesus what that was, and that's when he was told that Christ should be the one and only Lord of all. This man was willing to surrender everything to God except for his riches. That one thing really kept him from experiencing the abundant life. After much thought, the young man ignored the suggestion and thought the sacrifice was too high of a cost. Later on in this chapter, the Bible says that he walked away filled with discontentment. That would have been the perfect chance to make a commitment to follow Christ! Even if you're still holding onto one thing in your life, I encourage you to give it up to God; it is the distinguishable difference between living in anguish and blessing.

Sure, we're not going to be perfect. What matters is whether or not we surrender to God in every area of our life. Even when you screw up, it's okay, just don't give up because you fail. Are you willing to give your life to Jesus or are you still suffering with control issues?

"Jesus is not looking for an invitation to your heart. He is looking for ownership of your heart." ~Mike Guzzardo

Here's a way to get into the spirit and maybe push some of you over "the great divide." Listen to "The Stand" by Hillsong United!