Miss Him?

Just as the back to school shopping season winds down, the ornaments and other hints of Christmas seem to surface with each day. I cannot believe we are counting down just over three months. I was asking around the hot gifts for the teens this year, and to be honest it seems similar to last year.   Uggs, coach purses and shoes, and of course the coveted Miss Me jeans.

In Matthew 19 it speaks of a very wealthy young man that asks Jesus what he can do to gain eternal life. After going through the checklist of kept commandments, Jesus told him that he needed to sell everything and follow Him. In verse 22 it says "When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth."

Boy, we do love our stuff don't we? Quality merchandise is definitely worth paying more for, however, it's when we are paying strictly for the name that we need to be careful.  There's nothing like a great fitting pair of jeans. These "Miss Me" jeans roll out of California and retail for a base price of $99.  Can you say ouch? Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think there is no better combination than denim and bling, but we need to be careful of what we hold dear. 

These items that we just "have to have" can cloud our eternal minds and walks. Remember when Jesus asked the young man to sell everything?  He walked away from eternity because he didn't want to part with his stuff. As you read this ask God if you need help here. Are you ok if the boots you wear don't say UGG across the back of the heal?  Again, I'm not suggesting that we buy low class stuff just to say we love our Jesus, I am stating that if we hold these brand names too close, Jesus may ask us to sell everything to follow Him.  

As I leave you with these thoughts, think on this:  God entrusted us with money, gifts, and talents and if we aren't using them for His glory, then we may just "Miss Him!"