I AM THE RICH YOUNG RULER

I shall now attempt to explain how I and most of Americans fit the above description.

Mark 10: 19-21

19 "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.'"
20And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up."
21Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

Let me preface the fact that I never went to seminary and I don't read my bible enough. I am a horrible person to write about this and I am very much the rich young ruler. That said let us move on.

Christ worked with the marginalized. One the few occasions he worked with the rich he mocked them and was sarcastic. When he took them more seriously he asked them to give up their comfort. He asked them to give up their life.

I don't think this was any different then what he asked of the poor they just didn't have much to give up besides bad behavior and then commit to a greater way (Not that that isn't much or that that is all you have to do but the people of time paid 80-90% of their income to taxes. Needless to say they didn't have much) The rich young ruler had something that most people didn't have and that something wasn't money. Of course he had money but what really kept him from following Christ was the idol of what money so often brings into your life. Comfort and Security.

These two things (I will now refer to as C&S) are what I live in everyday. C&S are my idol and I refuse to part with them. By modern church standards I have "crossed the line of faith", weeded out the gross sin in my life (at least that those who know me on a surface level would perceive), and volunteer on a weekly basis. I'm a fucking saint by these accounts.

Only problem is I am not. I worship the God of C&S on a daily basis. I thank God continually for not making my life like those people (hopefully you can reference on your own which parable corresponds to why common day situational relativism is wrong but don't worry if you can't as I will probably write an incoherent rant about it soon.)

We are the rich young ruler because we have grown fat in our comfort. Our poor no longer starve but struggle with obesity. We frown in discomfort as the news talks of the tragic death of young child while in other places genocide roars through a nation. We try and figure out how to give the poor cheap health care while most people plead for any sort of health care for the simplest of curable but terminal diseases.

We truly have no problems no matter the circumstance.

I am not saying that people here are without need. I think there are those of us who are called to this but most of us in America are the Rich Young Ruler. We bow down daily to the God of Comfort and Security. More importantly to this post is that I bow down daily to the God of Comfort and Security.

Forgive me father for I have broken your first commandment. I break it daily. I long to live for you but probably would rather do it tomorrow. Break me even though I know not what I ask.