Stuff verses the real stuff.

Mark 10:17 – 38


As a culture we are accumulators of stuff. We have so much stuff that some even rent spaces away from their homes to hold more stuff. In fact, we have so much stuff that there are even television shows that have become very popular that show us how to throw away the stuff. Why do we have so much stuff? Some of our stuff is needful or nostalgic, tax records, baby pictures, and family heirlooms. Some of our stuff, we believe may be important later, we might need it. I would guess that most of our stuff is simply sitting there gathering dust, we don’t know what to do about it.

Does our stuff define us? Your immediate response could be that it does not but in a culture that is all about things. Think about how often people purchase a new car, television, computer, and household appliances. Some things need to be replaced but sometime we simply buy because it is new. Think about it, what would you do without all of your stuff, no house, car, computer, television, refrigerator, stove, no stuff at all.

Jesus was asking the young man in this story to do just that, give up all of his stuff. Walk away from it all. Jesus wanted him to exchange his stuff for the real stuff. Real stuff, defined by Jesus, is relationship with God, intimate, personal, real relationship with the God who created all of the stuff. Jesus wasn’t so much concerned about the man’s stuff; He saw a man who wanted to love God, he had kept all of the commandments but his stuff had gotten in the way. Jesus challenged the man, which stuff do you want? Do you want the stuff that you have now that is keeping you from real relationship or do you really want the real stuff? The real stuff is an intimate personal relationship with the one who can and will fulfill every dream and purpose. Jesus is asking the same question to all of us today. Can we take the risk to lay all of our stuff down and say, “Here we are, we want to follow you 100%.”