Love and Lattes

Further reflections on Romans 13:8-14

The last time anyone alluded to the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-28), my initial reaction was to scoff. Pssshyeah, right! Like I need this passage?! I’m one of the least possession-oriented people that I know! What thing of mine could I possibly have been holding me back? Clearly, this passage was written with somebody else in mind.

Gently, God called me deeper into His word. No, that wasn’t it. God doesn’t write His word for only some of us. What could possibly be my problem?

Said problem occurred to me at lunchtime today, which I had at a small Mexican restaurant: I am a poor steward of my money. How bad could this possibly be? Pfft. A quick bite to eat here, a latte there...can’t be much worse than that, right?

A closer inspection of my bank account revealed that my self-indulgence is not occasional; it is habitual. Costly, too. How much of this money could have been given to the poor? All of it?

"What is this; hey, what's the deal? I don't sleep around, and I don't steal! But I want the things you just can't give me..."
Derek Webb, Rich Young Ruler

Am I willing to cross that threshold, to do whatever it takes to follow God? To really give of myself, even when that gift becomes a sacrifice? I have a funny feeling that Jesus would have me do no less.

I’m not sure that Jesus wants me to give all of our stuff away to sell, and I'm the last person to put any rules on anyone else; if God hasn't called you to do something, don't do it. However, I do implore each of us - myself included - to ask what's holding us back from really serving the King. What is it that may cause each of us to "walk away sorrowful?" (Matthew 19:22) Life should be a mad dash towards God - what weighs us down? (Hebrews 12:1)

God wants all of me. He wants my heart and my soul, and everything that I do. He wants every detail of my life: the huge, life-altering decisions, day-to-day minutiae, and everything in between. My checkbook fits neatly in here as well: how I spend alters how I give. And somehow, God even wants my café lattes.