Matthew 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

Many people see the Christian life as one of sacrifice, because we are indeed to “put to death the deeds of the flesh.” (Romans 8:13) However, it is hardly one of deprivation. The point, as always, is one of priorities. God is not in the least stingy, but He demands our total allegiance. If we put things ahead of Him, even the people closest to us, we will lose out on uncounted blessings, and ultimately, lose even those things we have placed ahead of Christ. We are back to the passage from the 12th, where it spoke of taking up our cross to follow Jesus, and we also have strong echoes of Matthew 6:33, where we are assured of God’s complete supply if we get our priorities right. The problem with all of this is that we are centered on “I want it NOW!” It has long been recognized that a tolerance for delayed gratification is a sign of maturity, but recent studies have brought that out very clearly, and the difference in success rates of those who can look to the future and those who don’t is staggering. God knew that when He created us, so He left it up to our free will as to whether we would choose the path of true blessing or descend into depression and/or hedonism.

Once again I am brought to gratefulness for my upbringing. Delayed gratification wasn’t a lesson I learned easily, but my parents made it clear what their priorities were, and I learned a lot from “watching their backs,” as the Japanese expression puts it. I work with people all the time who are in real trouble because of this issue, and I need God’s wisdom and guidance in helping them. I am not to refuse the blessings God gives me along the way, but I must keep my own focus clearly on Christ’s kingdom and His righteousness. If I fail there, I will not only lose out myself, I will mislead many who look to me for spiritual direction, and perhaps make others think there is nothing to the Gospel after all.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for how You have blessed me so abundantly over the years. Help me not “kick back and relax,” but rather keep pressing into You, not forgetting to rest, relax, and rejoice in Christ but not taking any of that for granted either. May I be the son and disciple that You desire, so that I may lead many more to do the same, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!