He Just Let Him Walk Away

There's something I've always wondered about in the story of the rich young ruler in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, beginning in verse 17. This is about the man who all his life had strived to do right. He was a good man, just and true. Then one day he comes to Jesus, and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answers, telling him to relinquish his riches and come follow him. And the rich young ruler walked away from Jesus "grieved, for he had great possessions." The part that stands out to me is the fact that Jesus didn't run after him. If it had been one of us ministering to that rich young man, when he turned to walk away we would have run after him pleading, "wait a minute, you don't understand, you don't get it! You must understand that there is no losing when you walk with Jesus, anything you lose for his sake is returned to you a hundredfold, and eternal life on top of that! Don't be foolish! Relinquish to him whatever he asks of you. The way to receiving is through relinquishing. Please think again, please reconsider." But Jesus did NOT run after him. He did NOT argue with him. He did NOT say those words to him. He just let him ...turn and walk away. What I glean from this is that we cannot trifle with God. What he asks, we must be ready to relinquish, KNOWING that there is no losing in him, and that whatever we relinquish at his beckoning will be only for our GAIN. The walk with Jesus is a walk of obedience in faith, in a perpetual attitude of relinquishment, but it’s relinquishment in trust. The Lord probably isn't going to tell you to give up your riches and come follow him. He said that to the rich young ruler because this man's riches were the most important thing in life to him. When the Lord deals with his followers, he'll finger whatever our treasure is because we have to be willing to surrender all if we are to walk closely to him. vs 28-30:

"Then Peter began to say to him, 'See, we have left all and followed you.' So Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake and the Gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time — houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions — and in the age to come, eternal life.'" In other words, you don't lose when you relinquish. The promise of God is this: "But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and ALL these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33 This is a promise from almighty God to anyone who is willing to walk by faith. Having walked this way now for many years, I can attest to the absolute faithfulness of God to his Word. I lost all, only to gain all. And, I can add, it's a life of joy and excitement, plus a rejoicing in the promises of the world to come. As the apostle Paul said: "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. But indeed I also count all things loss, for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ..." -Philippians 3:7-8