Mark 10 ( again)

I have found myself thinking more about chapter 10..  The rich young ruler, who didn't want to give up all his riches,  needed what the blind Bartimaeus had.. faith.   Bartimaeus left behind his past (which, granted, wasn't very great) to follow Jesus.   The young man did not choose to give up anything at all.  He could not believe that what he would gain in following Jesus would be greater than his earthly wealth.   The discussion that Jesus had with His disciples in verses 28-31 brings light to this Truth - all we leave behind for His sake - is replaced with "a hundred times as much"!  

Paul understood this when he wrote in Philippians 3:8 ".... I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ."  Bartimaeus shows us how to "[forget] what lies behind and [reach] forward to what lies ahead."  To "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ."   The rich young man who could not let go of his present... lost the prize of his future, for  eternity..

This truth, this promise from Jesus, is so amazing.  He does call us to lay down our lives.. and follow Him,  but He tells us that we will have so much more!  Eternal, abundant life.. a hundred times.. a trillion times better than anything we leave behind.  

I have found this to be true in my own life.  We can never out-give the Lord.  Every sacrifice, every offering, every cent,  every minute that we have given to the Lord has been multiplied to us over and over again.
And still yet, I need to learn this lesson anew... to choose to believe it once again.. that all I leave behind and lay down before Him.. is nothing, compared with knowing Him.. for eternity!

Father, You are Worthy of all our praise and worship!  You are God alone. Holy and Infinite and Mighty.   Once again I "present [my] body, a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to [You]... (Romans 12:1)  I lay myself down, counting all as loss for the surpassing treasure of Jesus Christ, my Lord.
I press on.. in faith, in hope, and in love.. to eternal life with You.  Amen.