To Be Perfect: One Year Bible Readings for January 29

 Today we read from the following passages in the One Year Bible:

Exodus 8:1-9:35
Matthew 19:13-30
Psalm 24:1-10
Proverbs 6:1-5

And in the gospel, Jesus tells us how to be perfect! Pretty great, huh? All you have to do is follow His teaching in this one simple verse and you'll be perfect! But wait till you hear what it is...

He says to inherit eternal life, keep the commandments. Meaning, of course, the ten commandments. But the student pushes Him more and says "What else? How can I be perfect?" And Jesus tells him, and us, how to be perfect. "Sell all that you have and give the money to the poor, then come follow Me." D'oh! That's not so easy, is it?

And it brings up tons of questions. What if I have a family? Are we all to be poor? What does it mean to "follow Jesus" in this sense? Does that still apply to us today since Jesus isn't walking the earth for us to "follow"?

Well, two things we can definitely take from this. One, we will NOT be taking our stuff to heaven with us. Stuff isn't evil - God made stuff and He called it good. But it's temporary. The only thing you get to take to heaven with you is your friends. So invest heavily in other people! Also, we need to learn to live more simply. If you have tons of clothes, give some away. A very wise person said that anytime he needs to make a purchase, he finds the one that he really likes that meets his needs and he can afford, then buys the next cheapest one and gives the difference to the poor. Good practice! How can you give away stuff to help the poor today?

God, thanks for reminding us what's important.