"Refused"

"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." Matthew 19:21,22

When I went to the mailbox the other day, I discovered two of my newsletters had been returned to me. They were both from the same person. The reason that was printed on the envelope as to why they were returned was- "refused". They were refused by the recipient. In order to be on the mailing list you have to request to be added. So why would this person request to be added then later refuse them? (I have found out since, because I know this person personally, that this was a mistake and they do want to remain on the list.)

But this incident made me think about how we are with the Lord sometimes. We say we want Him in our lives. We make a decision for Him. We invite Him to be our Lord and Savior. We say we want Him to lead and direct our lives. We make the choice for Him, He doesn't force Himself on us, yet we often "refuse" Him. We "refuse" His leading when He is leading us in a way that we do not want to go. We "refuse" His instructions when there is a sacrifice on our parts that is involved. We "refuse" His words when He tells us something we don't want to hear. We "refuse" to obey when what He requires conflicts with what we want.

The rich young ruler was the one who came seeking Jesus out. He was the one who asked what he had to do to have eternal life. He was the one who wanted an answer, yet when he got it... he "refused" it. Do you have the same testimony as this young man? Is this where you are today? Have you received Jesus as Savior and Lord, yet you are "refusing" to listen to His commands and obey them? If this is the case, then you will wind up in the same state as this young man- sorrowful and away from Jesus. Jesus made Himself available to you. You received Him by asking Him into your life. So will you choose to follow Him or refuse to follow?

Have a great day. There is no way you can choose to follow Him then refuse to obey Him and think that you are still following Him.

For further reading:
Isaiah 1:19; 29:13
James 1:22
Matthew 16:24
John 12:26
Luke 9:57-62