You Want Me to Give up What??? 

Have you ever let somebody borrow something you really liked, and the whole time they had it, you kept one eye on them? You told them, “Yeah, go ahead, you can use it.” But deep down, your spirit was saying, “Please don’t drop it. Please don’t scratch it. Please don’t lose it. And if you breathe on it too hard, we may have to have a conversation.” Or maybe somebody asked you for a bite of your food. Now, some of us are generous until it comes to the last bite. You can have a fry. You can have a sip. You can even have a corner of the dessert. But that last bite? That’s sacred territory. It’s funny how quickly we discover what we are willing to give up and what makes us tighten our grip.

That reminds me of Luke 18:20–30.

A rich ruler came to Jesus asking a very important question. He wanted to know what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. On the surface, that sounds like a good question. He wasn’t asking something silly. He wasn’t trying to waste time. He wanted to know about eternal life. Jesus reminded him of the commandments: do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, and honor your father and mother. The man responded by saying he had kept all these things since he was a boy. Now, let’s pause right there. This man was not just out here living any kind of way. He had discipline. He had morals. He had religious commitment. He had a good reputation. From the outside looking in, many people probably would have said, “That’s a good man right there.”

But Lord Jesus saw deeper.

Luke 18:22 (NIV) says, “When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’”

Whew. That is one of those moments where the music stops. You can almost hear the man saying, “You want me to give up what?” The issue was not that the man had possessions. The issue was that his possessions had him. Jesus was not trying to take something from him just to leave him empty. Lord Jesus was revealing what had too much of his heart. That is where this passage gets personal. Because all of us have something that makes us tighten our grip. For this man, it was wealth. For someone else, it may be comfort. For another person, it may be control. It could be a relationship, a habit, a dream, a title, a lifestyle, a plan, or even an image we want people to have of us.

We may say, “Lord, I’ll follow You.” But then Lord Jesus puts His finger on that one thing, and suddenly our response changes.

“Now Lord, hold on! You can have anything else, but pleaseeeeee don’t touch that.”

But Jesus loves us too much to let anything sit on the throne that belongs to Him. When the rich ruler heard what Jesus asked, Scripture says he became very sad because he was very wealthy. That is a heavy sentence. He was close enough to have a conversation with Lord Jesus, but not surrendered enough to follow Him. And that is the warning for us. We can be close to religious things and still hold tightly to something that keeps us from fully surrendering to Christ. But the passage does not end with sadness.

Peter spoke up and said, “We have left all we had to follow you!” And Lord Jesus responded with a promise. In Luke 18:29–30 (NIV), Lord Jesus said:

“Truly I tell you... no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

That is the gift in the surrender. Lord Jesus was not saying surrender is easy. But He was saying it is worth it. Whatever He asks us to release, He is still better. Whatever He asks us to lay down, He is still faithful. Whatever He asks us to trust Him with, He is still good. Sometimes Lord Jesus does not ask for what is in our hands because He needs it. He asks because He knows it has too much of our heart.

And the Heavenly Father is not trying to leave us empty-handed. He is freeing our hands to receive what only He can give. So today, if Lord Jesus is asking you to surrender something, do not assume He is trying to punish you. He may be trying to free you. Because the thing you are afraid to release may be the very thing standing between you and deeper obedience.

Next Step

Take a moment today and ask the Heavenly Father, “Is there anything I am holding tighter than I am holding onto You?” Be honest with Him. If something comes to mind, do not run from it. Bring it to Him. Ask Him for the grace to surrender it and the faith to trust Him with what comes next. Because whatever Lord Jesus asks you to give up, He is still greater than what you are afraid to lose.

God bless you, God keep you. God loves you and I love you too!