Am I That Transparent
It’s not my intention to be rude or contradictory…
Luke 18:18-30
Reference: v. 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (NIV Bible)
Explore: My husband has recently informed me that my face often gives me away. While the words from my mouth may be saying, “Yes dear, that sounds fine,” the expression on my face is actually saying, “I couldn’t think of anything worse!” It’s not my intention to be rude or contradictory, but it seems my face portrays what I’m really thinking! My husband will pick up on my true feelings and I’ll sheepishly ask him, “Am I that transparent?”
Application: The Rich Young Ruler is a fairly well known story of a young man who keeps all the laws and does all the right things in the eyes of the religious rulers. And yet when Jesus challenges him to give up everything for the sake of his faith he walks away. We don’t know what his actions are from then on and maybe after his conversation with Jesus he totally turned his life around. However his expression at the time gave him away. His transparent response showed his true feelings. Jesus is not as concerned with our words, He wants to know what is in our hearts. No matter what we say, God is able to see the truth in our hearts, and it’s from that understanding that He prompts us to be more Christ-like.
Prayer: Lord, help us to be more like You and willing to give everything up for Your name. Amen.
What is truly in your heart? How do you hold back selfish intentions to help commit fully to Christ?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.