'Gorilla' Warfare

I've been thinking a lot lately about the story of the Rich, young ruler. I'm fascinated by the fact that he was so devout, that he told Jesus that he had kept the commandments from his childhood, and Jesus didn't contest that fact. Can you imagine never having lied, stolen or cheated? Apparently this was his testimony. However, he did have a small 'possession' problem. He was 'owned' by his possessions, and so rejected an invitation to become one of Jesus' disciples in exchange for selling his possessions and giving the money to the poor. What??? Can you imagine being so controlled by something in your life that, even though you're seeking something deeper than your already admirable faith walk, you're not willing to give up what you own to find what you need.

This is our story too you know?! We are in relationship with Jesus and profess our undying love for Him. However, there are things in our lives that we love substantially more than we love Him. Whatever those things are, unless they are put in perspective and placed in their rightful place, we have in essence rejected a call to follow Jesus as one of His disciples, and have instead opted for the 'cage' of safe, boring and unchallenging christianity. It was C.S. Lewis who so eloquently stated, "You can't get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first." If we lose our opportunity to accomplish our purpose because we are blinded by our 'caged' and safe Christianity, then we might as well be a 400-pound gorilla with all of its strenght harnessed behind a cage in the zoo. It is good for nothing except an occasional nose-pick and body-scratch. Unleash the adventure that's in you so that you can truly live!