As Christians, we’re called to live sacrificially. To live as Jesus lived, we need to be selfless and kingdom-focused, which means we can’t be obsessed with popularity, possessions, or power. We’re blessed when we ‘walk uprightly.’ The Bible says: ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth…Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God’ (Matthew 5:4;7-8 NIV). God’s kingdom can seem upside down to us, but that’s because the world expects us to value materialistic things, success, and fame. These things won’t actually help us feel fulfilled. The key to feeling fulfilled in life is self-denial, but we don’t like the idea of denying ourselves something we want. And it’s really tough to do if we live in luxury. The Bible tells us about an encounter that Jesus had with a rich young ruler. The ruler asked Jesus: ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus listed the commandments, and the ruler said that he followed them all. But the next thing Jesus said the ruler had to do, did not go down too well. ‘“Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth’ (Mark 10:12-22 NIV). We can be like that ruler. We want to follow Jesus, but when it comes to giving up the life we have now, we just don’t want to. We often try to live sacrificially, but only to the point where it’s still comfortable for us. Let’s remember that our treasure is in heaven, and be prepared to live sacrificially for God’s kingdom.

What Now?

What are you holding on to that’s stopping you from fully following God? It could be a possession, a love of the wrong thing, a habit, or something else. Ask God to help you let go of it.