A Frayed Thread

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:17-27 ESV). Not very often do I find myself sewing. However, there are those times when I need to put a button back on, or do some small repair to a garment. The thing that frustrates me the most is trying to thread the needle! I suppose it’s more a function of not being able to see very well than anything else is, but it is difficult to do. That's especially true when the thread frays and only a part of the thread goes into the needle. The more I thought about today's Scripture, the more I was reminded of trying to thread the needle with frayed thread. As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Notice the attitude of the rich young ruler. He ran to Jesus. The ruler was not arrogant. He was genuinely seeking an answer. Jesus told the man to sell all his possessions and follow Him. Christ knew that the man's wealth was interfering with full devotion to Christ. Sadly the man chose his earthly wealth over eternal wealth. Then, Jesus explains to His disciples: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Now go back to the image of the frayed thread and the eye of the needle. If they were tightly wound together, there wouldn't be much of a problem in getting the thread into the eye. Often there are those "loose ends" we allow to exist in our lives that keep us from the fullness of the Holy Spirit. What do you need to "tie up" today? What is keeping you from becoming a more fully devoted follower of Christ? What excess cords do you need to remove? Past hurts? Past broken relationships? Past sorrows or regrets? How about present worldly desires? Are these frayed ends keeping you away from His strength? Let the power of Christ put your thread back together today!