Matthew 19:21-22
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

What is the heart of being a disciple of Christ but giving up all of us in order to follow Him.  We leave behind our old selves and our old lives to take up the one that He offers us in His presence.  But we’re not going to have the kind of relationship with God that we desire if we’re walking away from Him instead of toward Him.  We’re not going to be able to build something meaningful with the Lord if we are clinging to the things of this world and this life instead of being willing to let go of anything but Christ.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of priority, assessing what we value most.  It is evident by the direction we are moving in relation to Christ.  There are many things that can intrude on our relationship with Him, things that create distance between us.  There are choices that we make, responses to situations, desires that we pursue.  We can let all kinds of things hinder that if we’re not careful.

But then there are things that we can do that draw us nearer to the Lord.  It’s not so much about selling all our treasure as it is doing the things that help us improve any relationship.  We have to spend time.  We have to be near.  We have to interact.  We have to be committed.  We have to be willing to do whatever it takes.  It’s a daily decision to die to self and to take up our cross and follow Jesus.

May we be willing to spend our lives seeking Jesus.  May it truly be that we desire Him more than anything else we have.  May we treasure our time with Jesus and our walk with the Lord through this life.  It’s not always easy.  It’s not always without sacrifice.  It’s definitely not without effort and commitment.  But isn’t it sweet just to follow behind, to be part of what He’s doing, to know Him more day by day, and to anticipate what is yet to come?  So let’s be willing to do whatever it takes to stay close to Jesus.