These "security blankets" ceased in importance as the boys got older, yet as I reflect on their attachment to them, it provides a great spiritual lesson. You see, like my boys, we often hold onto things and won't exchange them for anything, even eternal life. Jesus' ministry was filled with potential followers who started out with great enthusiasiam for Jesus, but when they were challenged with the true cost of following him, their enthusiasm quickly faded. One prime example is the Rich Young Ruler found in Mark 10. This man had been morally respectable and a true follower of the Old Testament commandments. Jesus challenged him to get out of his efforts at moral respectability. In other words "not doing bad" as a way to eternal life. Jesus refocused the man to use his great resources to benefit the poor as a key for eternal life. The man "went away sad, because he had great wealth." He couldn't give up his possessions.
It is sad to think many people will miss eternity because they cling to temporary things such as possessions, popularity, and power. Unlike my sons who outgrew their need for their security blankets, these persons hold onto a false sense of security that in the end will prove to have no security at all. Jesus said in Mark 8:36-37, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" The answer to this rhetorical question is obvious . . . nothing.
What are you basing your eternity on? If it isn't Christ alone, your security is on "sinking sand."
Come see us Sunday. We will talk about that.
Pastor Jeff
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