Be Relentless Devotion 3

Leaving is a Good Thing

Matthew 19:16-22

When the rich young man further questioned Jesus about what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus gave him an answer that was specific to the man’s need.

GO SELL GIVE

We can apply these to ourselves as well. Not in the same way as the rich young man, but in a way that we need.

Let’s take a look at the first word: GO

In order to go, you need to LEAVE something or someone. Too often people try to just add Christ into their lives without being willing to also remove something that contradicts a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

A destructive habit An unhealthy relationship A selfish goal A life perspective that sees others as “less than”

As you grow in our relationship with Christ, He will continually show you areas of your life that are not holy. Areas that you need to leave behind. Areas that will constantly come in conflict with His Holy Spirit residing within you.

This is where many fail to stay RELENTLESS. They love the pieces of their lives that they have put in place, or have gotten used to, or that serve their own purposes more than they love Christ. More than they want to be faithful to him, they want to faithfully serve their own desires. It’s a hard truth. Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You only fool yourself when you think you can hang onto an old way of life while also following and growing in Christ.

Partly because those will always be in conflict, but more importantly, because God refuses to compete. He won’t stand by and beg for you to follow him. He certainly will remind you of who He is and what He has done on the cross for you. He will draw you with His beauty in nature, and through His word in Scripture. 

But you are free to turn away Free to stop listening Free to stop seeing

Free to relent. To give in…and give up. God absolutely does not want you to! He longs for you to stay with him. And he has promised to never leave you. But because of His love for you, He will respect your decision to leave him. It won’t be without consequences, though, the first being His grief at the loss of you. 

On the other hand, when you are RELENTLESS, when you refuse to let anything else take first place, and when you are willing to leave behind whatever keeps you from following more closely the God who loves you, you will find that the word GO, holds no power over you.

You will leave that habit…and find peace and new disciplines that make you better You will walk away from that unhealthy relationship and find people who help you follow Christ You will alter your goals to serve God’s purposes and find deeper meaning for your life You will see that all people are made in God’s image and because of that have worth And so much more!

Stay RELENTLESS, friends! It won’t always be easy. But it will so be worth it!

Ask Yourself: What is a habit, or relationship, or goal, or perspective that feel God telling you to leave? Have you? What is keeping you from doing so? Confess that to God. Tell someone else and ask them to help you or hold you accountable to LEAVE.

Hebrews 12:1 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,

Have you relented in some way? Have you already walked away from your faith because you loved your life more than Christ? You can always turn back. Do so today. It will be worth it.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Praying for you to Be Relentless!