Is this myth grinding you down?

Every single one of us walks around with the same myth on our backs and in our hearts.

We think we're great - or not - for all the wrong reasons.

There are three primary areas we measure ourselves by:

• What we do.

• What we have.

• What we've not done and what we've not got.

It's a natural measurement to gravitate to. We live in a world that reveres those who've accomplished magnificent things, have many things, and sit on whatever thrones the world has set up. It magnifies the haves, and nullifies the have-nots.

And it'll load you down for life.

Why the world's great isn't great (and not even good).

Consider the conversation between Jesus and a rich young man in Mark 10:17-25.

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus replies to the young man, "No one is good - except God alone."

This wasn't a question/statement in which Jesus was disavowing himself from God. Rather, he was unearthing what the young man really thought of him when he called him "good teacher." In essence, Jesus asks him, "What is your reasoning behind calling me good?"

He was about to bring out the human distractions that get in the way of devotion.

The young man had asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus lined out the commandments to be kept. The young man's response? "All these I have kept since I was a boy." Here was a young man proud of his track record of doing.

Who of us wouldn't respond the same?

With love in his eyes and heart, Jesus exposed the young man: "One thing you lack...Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Mark tells us the young man's face fell, because he had great wealth.

It's been said that the body speaks the truth before the mouth does.

The reason his face fell? His heart was attached.

While the young man had kept the commandments (what he could do), his heart had gravitated to his stuff (what he had). Jesus pointed out the deeper truth: yes, the young man had possessions, but his possessions actually had him. And they were keeping him from a lighter way of life in following Jesus.

To be rich in anything, Jesus says, makes it very difficult to live in his kingdom.

He's looking to remove the burden of distraction, and give us the lightness of devotion.

If you want a surefire way to carry a much heavier burden than you need to, tie your value and worthiness to what the young man hitched himself to: what he had done, and what he had. Or, you can go the route Peter did as the conversation continued. Peter pointed out they'd left everything to follow Jesus, and Matthew's account gives us the question Peter asked next: "What then will there be for us?"

You see, we can physically get away from the distractions, yet still be handcuffed by them.

How to make the move from subtle distractions to total devotion.

To make this jump requires some radical honesty with ourselves: why do we think Jesus is good?

Do we think he's good because he's a nice counterpart that we call in for help as needed? That's one way to look at it, but it overlooks the idea of Jesus as Lord and Savior. The truth is, we look for reasons to measure ourselves as great in the world's eyes, and ask Jesus to protect that.

But that's not what Jesus is after that. Instead, Jesus reconciled our worth in God's eyes.

That's why he's good.

Total devotion to him as Lord and Savior is going to necessitate the oh-so-seemingly-gradual loosening of our grip on subtle distractions. Here are a few questions to ponder:

Question #1: Take an inventory of what you're rich in. Ask yourself: "Am I rich in deeds? Rich in possessions? Rich in thoughts over what I'm not?"

Question #2: Consider how much this wealth weighs into your worth. Again, the issue isn't the thing...it's the heart. Another way to ask: "What's my assessment of my worth if I don't have _________?"

Question #3: Consider where you experience Jesus as 'good.' What is it that you really hope Jesus can do for you? We all want our definition of blessing. But what are the daily reminders you see that reinforce his goodness?

The more you lift your eyes to the clarity of his goodness, the less your face falls at the brevity of your greatness.

It's a much lighter way forward.

Until next week,

Nathan