Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:21, New International Version)
We had a rummage sale at our house this weekend. It
always seems like a good way to get rid of a bunch of stuff and make a little
extra cash. An additional perk is that Hubby cleans out the garage to get ready
for this sale.
We never make as much money as we would like and, in
the end, if we add up all the hours it took to prepare for the sale and the two
full days I sat in the garage waiting for customers. Umm? We made less than $3
an hour.
I wonder what it would take to sell all of my
possessions. How much money that would come to and how long it would take. And
would it amount to enough to change the lives of any of the poor people I gave
it to.
But Jesus was making a point in that verse. That
anyone who is wealthy is going to have a tough time making it into heaven if he
or she puts her possessions first. Actually, anyone, whether rich or poor,
needs to put others ahead of themselves and material goods.
And what about the meager proceeds from our sale? I
put some of it away to go towards my next volunteer trip to Kenya and split the
rest of it between Hubby and me. I’m pretty sure that he will do the same with
his as I did with mine. Squirrel it away for a rainy day.
One last thing. All the stuff that we didn’t sell we
are donating to our church for their rummage sale next month. Not that I’m
patting myself on the back; I just wanted it out of my house.
God, Heavenly Father, thank You for all
the many gifts You shower us with, gifts which do not deserve. May we always
love others as much as we love ourselves and give to them what we are able.
Amen.
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