(As promised - my ‘sort-of funny’ story about peanut butter cookies which I left off with in yesterday’s message)

During my first year at Bible College many years ago…newly married and ready to take on the world, anxious to deliver the gospel for God’s kingdom…I got a part-time job driving a school bus for one of the local districts in town. And as my nature has always been, I enjoy bantering with kids and having fun with them.

There was one particular afternoon where I was dropping off the last group of kids at their homes when someone asked me what my favorite kind of cookie was. I didn’t even have to think about it and popped off immediately…”Peanut Butter cookies with a chocolate Hershey Kiss planted right in the middle of them!” I also remember, quite vividly, adding the statement: “I love those cookies sooo much…that if they are not to be found in heaven…I’m not so sure I even want to go there!” I felt a ‘twinge’ immediately after hearing those words roll off my lips.

But the more I began thinking about those particular style of baked goods, my taste buds began to water yearning to have those delicacies grace my mouth, and I could just taste the softness of that semi-melted chocolate dissolve onto my pallet. Want to guess what I did immediately after returning home? Yep…I sure did. I was a man on a mission to satisfy the longing of my ‘flesh’. And when the first batch came out of the oven…I can testify they were as tasty as I knew they would be. That is, until 20 minutes later I was in the bathroom throwing up profusely. I also remember crawling back out to the sofa and laying there, death warmed over and still nauseous for hours.

There was no need for God to send some ‘prophet’ to my home to enlighten me as to what was happening. Say or think what you will, but I KNEW…what this was all about: God was not humored by my little quip about declining entrance into heaven if my cookies were not going to be there. In fact, if memory serves me well…I repented to those kids the next day before I dropped them off…telling them that I crossed a line and did not mean to suggest that some cookie meant that much to me that I would not want to go to heaven.

Funny how some stories stay with you.

We are still continuing on with our topic on ‘idols’ …and what makes an idol…an idol. Which leads me to another story found in 3 of the 4 gospels; and one I have touched on many times over the recent years since I began blogging here. It’s the story of the rich, young ruler whom you should know well by now. You can refer to the account as told by Matthew in chapter 19.

This young man of influence, possessing great wealth and apparent prestige came to Jesus inquiring what one must do in order to inherit this ‘eternal life’ that everyone was hearing about back then. It should be noted that in spite of having so much in his young life (or so it would seem)… he still sensed something was lacking; hence his coming to Jesus to investigate what that might be. Do you remember how Jesus answered his inquiry, as to what one ‘must do’ in order to receive this ‘eternal life’?

“Keep the commandments.” (Matt. 19:17)

This was not an isolated case either. In Luke 10, we read where a lawyer came asking the same question of Jesus, who again, pointed him to the Law, asking how he interpreted the law to read (25-26). Correctly summarizing it, the lawyer offered his take which boiled down to loving God with all one’s heart and then loving one’s neighbor as themselves (27). Once again, Jesus affirmed to this man that he was correct and that if he too would ‘do this, he too would live’ (28).

But it was our rich young ruler in Matt. 19:18 that asked Jesus ‘which ones’? Which commands were necessary to adhere to if he was to receive this gift of eternal life; so Jesus rattled off a handful of the ten, to which the young man was quick to affirm that he indeed had ‘kept them all’ since he was a young lad. (20). You might make note of two commands that Jesus did not list, the one about having no ‘idols’ (2nd command) and the last one about not ‘coveting’.

That’s when Jesus looked at this young man, and as Mark records in his gospel…Jesus ‘loved him’ (Mark 10:21) and then informed him he was ‘lacking’ (Mark 10:21; Matt. 19:20). That’s when Jesus proceeded to tell him that in order to be ‘perfect’, he would need to cut loose of all he owned, disperse the proceeds to the poor and then come and follow Him (Matt. 19:21). Mark’s account also mentions the need to ‘take up the cross’. This of course was demanded of anyone who desired to come after Jesus and be a disciple of His (Luke 9:23; 14:25-33).

It is also important to note that separating one’s self from of all the wealth and material goods that they might own was not required of everyone who came to Jesus, but it was for this one particular young man. And when Jesus informed this gentleman of this ‘requirement’, it hit a nerve. Actually, what it ‘hit’ was the fact this man had made an idol of his wealth and power, so much so… that he thought about it and was grieved, because he chose in that moment it was too great a price to pay, for him at least. He apparently had a problem with greed, or ‘coveting’, and chose to go his own way (Matt. 19>22).

And Jesus did not chase after him hoping to change his mind or may by offering him a ‘sweeter deal’, possibly ‘lowering the bar’ of expectations? Jesus let the man walk. And if/when we to come to Jesus expressing a desire to follow Him and become a disciple and receive eternal life, you can be sure the ‘requirements’ have not changed. We are either going to ‘love God with ALL our heart and soul and mind’ or we too can choose to hold on to whatever it is that God is pointing out in our hearts what ‘needs to go’. In doing so, what we are conveying to God is that we ‘love that thing more’…than we love Him. And what did Jesus say we would do ‘IF…we loved Him’? (John 14:15).

For that one man, it was his wealth and power; for someone else, it may be their pride, or unforgiveness, or racism or greed, etc. Why, it might even be twin grandsons and peanut butter cookies, when one might even suggest they don’t know if they can ‘live without them’. But it is wise to let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what it is that you might be ‘holding on to’, reluctant to let go of, in order to follow Jesus.

I can promise you this: If you go to God in humility…searching your own heart (2 Cor. 13:5)…He will make it known what might have become a ‘hinderance’ for you as well. He’s pretty serious when He makes it known that we are to ‘love Him with all our hearts’….trust me on that one (Matt. 22:35-40). We’ll continue on tomorrow, Lord willing.