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Job 23v1-9,16-17

Hebrews 4v12-16     The word of God is like a two edged sword.

Mark 10v17-31     The rich young man.

Resisting God’s invitation to come closer?

The rich young man had kept the faith/law, (based on loving ones neighbour), but feels something is lacking in his heart, in his relationship with God.

Jesus recognised his heart desire for more of God and suspects there is something holding this young man back.

The young man was at a difficult crossroads,

Which was it to be?

·        Should he stay where he was with God, (which he was already feeling was second best), while he could hold on to his treasure. However could he cope with the certain knowledge that he had chosen to resist God’s invitation to come closer?

·        Or was he brave enough to he face his fear and resistance, and move further into God’s invitation to come closer. This is what he knew he really wanted to do, to experience a much closer intimacy with the Father. This was God’s invitation to him through the Spirit.

For a long time he had sat on the fence, not growing in intimacy with God, and neither being satisfied in his present relationship with God.

Jesus clarifies the issue for him. The root of his (particular) resistance was firmly attached to his wealth where he found his security. If he was to experience being secure in his relationship with God, then he would have to be willing to let go of his security in his wealth.

There may be people you know who are resisting God’s invitation to come closer.

1.      Sometimes, like this young man, it is because they find their security in the material possessions or career and don’t want to let them go.

2.      Sometimes it is because they want the freedom to explore the intellectual treasures of man’s thinking, and don’t want to be bound by religious doctrine

3.      Sometimes they want to explore social moral liberties which they instinctively know will bring them into conflict with God’s moral standards and relationship with Him.

You yourself may have come to a stop in your relationship with God at some point in the past and resisted His invitation to come closer.

Perhaps for one of the above reasons, or perhaps because you made a particular choice at one point in your life that has made it difficult now for you to move beyond.

Consider the following four pints.

·        God’s invitation to you is still available, waiting for you to respond.

·        The young man could have said to himself , I know that God loves me more than I can love myself, therefore I have nothing to fear in trusting him with this part of my life and going with Him into the unknown! After all He will be holding my hand.

·        He could also have said, If I do not make this decision now, I am likely to spend the rest of my life regretting it, and never being fully satisfied with the choice I had made to resist his invitation to come closer. To stay with his present choice would be to stagnate or die early.

·        Finally, can anything be as exciting and rewarding in life than to walk with God as closely as possible. I would have to be a fool to resist that invitation, no matter what I would have to let go of.

If you sense you are resisting God’s invitation to come closer.

·        Face the challenge and ask “what are the roots?’

·        Talk with God about it and ask Him to help you through the next step.

·        Talk with me about it and find the strength and assurance to work through it.