Detach from Wealth, Attach to Jesus

I was new to Australia, just a couple of years in the country.  I was doing a wedding and the photographer took his job very seriously.  He started to direct the ceremony, so much so, to shoot a better photo, he told the couple to repeat the exchange of vows.  I had to tell him, “When I need an M.C.  I shall tell you.  Now you need to mind only photography”.  He was not much pleased and said, “They are paying me much more than you”.  For him money dictated everything else in life. 

You may not let money dictate everything.  But for many, wealth and riches determine position in society, secure life and provide a goal in life.  Religion is an add-on for many good people.  They might ask the question, “I don’t do anything immoral and I believe in God.  Is there anything else I need to do to be a good Christian?”  A young man asked Jesus a similar question (Mark 10:17-30).  He had kept all the commandments regarding social morality.  Was there anything else he needed to do to inherit eternal life?  In addition to being a morally good man, Jesus asked him to sell his riches and follow him.  The preoccupation with riches and attachment to it is hindrance to following Jesus.  To follow Jesus, one has to be prepared to trust in God fully, so much that charity and renunciation becomes the norm of life.  Christian joy is in giving, not in amazing wealth.  Your excellence and merits are ultimately gauged by your service, not by what you own.  Is Jesus your priority and service your lifestyle?