Letting Go and Grabbing Onto God

Focus Verse: But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ – Matthew 19:26 ESV

The rich young ruler wanted to know what he must do to have eternal life, and Jesus answered him by saying, “in order to have life, you must obey my commandments.” Not quite convinced, the young man questioned again, “What else must I do? Is that all?” So Jesus said, “Sell all of your possessions, give to the poor, and follow me.” Unable to bring himself to do that, the young ruler walked away, his head hung low.

After this encounter, the disciples, apparently perplexed, questioned Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answered: “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. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” v. 29-30

So, then, what does this mean? Are the rich unable to get into Heaven? Do they have to give up everything in exchange for a life of missions and evangelism? Does God really expect His children to live meagerly? I daresay, this isn’t at all what is being said here. Ultimately, it’s a matter of our heart; however, being willing to give up all we have for everything God has promised us isn’t a bad deal, either.

In the story of the rich young ruler, Jesus knew riches and possessions would always be a wedge between mankind and a relationship with God.  If we are not willing to put God before our earthly possessions, then it’s safe to assume our heart posture is out of alignment.

For each of us, that barrier, that distraction, that roadblock, is something different. It will always be difficult to give up that thing we feel entitled to, or that we have earned, and especially what you worked hard for. Usually, God doesn’t require us give it all up, but we must be willing to let it all go and follow Him if that’s what He calls us to do. It’s truly a heart thing.

The question we must constantly ask ourselves is: Am I ready to give up everything I have if God were to tell me to? It may be material possessions, a career, money, or even hobbies and the ways you spend your time. What are you clinging to? What do you prize the most in your life, that if God told you to let it go, you may find difficult? Would you be able to? What if it was the only way you could have eternal life with Jesus Christ? Then, would you let it go?

These are hard questions to answer. But God wants us to be fully and completely dependent on Him, with our hearts and eyes focused on Him. He wants us to know and believe that nothing is possible without Him. The way we prove that we trust Him is by releasing our grip on the things of this world.

We can take comfort in releasing everything to God once we accept that even when we think we’re in control, we’re not. God is always in charge, and has the final say. It’s easy to give up what you know you cannot control, but what about giving up what you think you can control? God wants it all. The following passages help me to remember who’s actually in charge, and that I can trust God with everything I have here on earth, and especially with my future, my eternity:

“for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.” Colossians 1:16-17 NLT

“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” Job 1:21 NLT

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.^[a] He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” James 1:17 NLT

The things of this world are nothing compared to eternal life with Jesus. That life starts now, but you must give up the things that are weighing you down if you are to live in the fullness and abundant life that He has for you.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 NLT

Surrender is hard. But holding on to something that is no longer meant for you is even harder. If God is telling you to let it go of something so that you can follow Him, then that means whatever it is is no longer for you. When we insist on clinging to that one thing God is telling us to let go of, we have more to lose than if we just let it go.

Pray this prayer: What am I clinging to that is holding me back from all that you have for me? Show me what you want me to do, and give me the strength to follow through, to obey your commands, to trust in you. Amen.

After reading this passage, I brought up the topic and the story of the rich young ruler with my husband. We truly pondered what it would be like if God were to tell us to give up everything we have worked hard for. Our business, our property, our life savings… just gone. But you know what? As crazy as it may sound, we both agreed that’s what we would do if God called us to. It may not be what we had in mind when we set out to plan our future 22 years ago, but God’s plans are always higher than ours, and we always have to trust that his ways are better than anything we could ever do.