Cheaper Than Gas

A church in our area recently had the following message on their sign, "Try walking with Jesus, it's cheaper than gas." I often disagree with the messages on this particular marquee. Their short, pithy statements targeting travelers often fall short of biblical accuracy and cheapen the message that they are desperately trying to convey. This message, in particular, bothered me because of things that God has already been stirring in my heart and mind. The account of the rich young ruler found in Luke 18 has troubled me a lot over the past couple of years. Until reading The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, I had never heard anyone preach that Jesus might actually be serious and expect us to sell everything that we have and give to the poor. Why did Jesus require this of this young man and not of others? I know what I have been told: that Jesus knew his heart and that this man was relying on riches and valued them above following God or something close to this explanation. But who of us would have passed this test? I could imagine a seasoned, "mature" follower of Christ selling everything for a Savior they have grown to love but who of us would have done this at the beginning of our relationship with Christ? Would you have chosen to follow Christ if it meant selling everything that you have? Would you have exchanged personal wealth for a personal relationship with Christ? Would you have walked the aisle, prayed the prayer, entered the baptismal pool if it meant giving up everything that you own? But the reality is that following Christ requires such sacrifice. It is true that salvation is free and grace is a gift and righteousness is bestowed but following is costly. Jesus' own words in Luke 14:33 were "any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." What does this mean to you? Does this picture your life in Christ? This was not an isolated statement. Luke records several similar accounts that the other Gospels leave out. Luke 12:33 tells us to "sell our possessions and give to the poor." He also tells of Zacchaeus who, after embracing Christ, gave half of his possessions to the poor and more than compensated for those he had cheated. The first disciples understood this sacrifice also. After the rich, young ruler refuses to sell all, the 12 Disciples point out to Jesus that they had left everything (vocations, homes, family, etc.) to follow Him which prompted a wonderful promise from Jesus. The first converts at Pentecost sold all that they had and had all things common and a strange thing happened - "there were no needy persons among them." But what does Jesus really expect from us? From me? What are we to do with these verses? One solution would be to just read the other 3 Gospels and leave Luke alone. But where is the integrity in that? In Amos 3:10, God says that Israel did "not know how to do right who hoard plunder and loot in their fortresses." Are we guilty of this also, hoarding God's blessing and wealth in our homes while many go without? I don't know how this all plays out in my life let alone in yours but I do know that we ought to learn how to do what is right with what God has given us. We are selling our home and have an opportunity to change things. An opportunity to live on less (I didn't say "without" just "less") and give more. A time to imagine what it would look like to give 50% instead of 10. A chance to accept the risk of caring for the need of others before fulfilling our own wants. Again, I use words such as "opportunity" "imagine" "chance", to show that the time to rethink how I use my wealth is now but what that will look like is still a mystery. I just want my heart to care beyond the end of my driveway. I want my wealth to spill out beyond the walls of my home. I want my faith to cost more than gas.