“If I asked you to sell all your possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and come and follow Jesus, would you really do it? Even though you may believe in your heart that you would and know that the heart of Jesus is in you to do so, you would need to repent of your selfishness. You still own much of what you say that you have given away in your heart. It still owns you! You must do something about that while you still can.

"I am not telling you to give everything away. The things you have are simply a benchmark of your maturity in Christ. I am, however, asking you to notice where you really are with Me. How much of your life and loves are really under the Lordship of Jesus? You may be really surprised to find out.”

Matt.16:22-23 NIV

22) Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23) Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Out of my sight, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

I find so much compassion and love in this message. Read it again from the perspective of a loving Father, who is giving an honest appraisal to His child regarding the condition of his or her heart. See it from a concerned Father’s perspective, who has lovingly studied His child, all with the child’s best interests at heart.

If we study the Scriptures, we see that Jesus exposed the things that people really served, even though they either believed that they were doing right or they were performing selfish actions masked as service to God. His directness offended some, challenged others, and became cold drinks of water to the thirsty soul. Truth always is that way. It gets to the core of things.

I believe that our Lord wants us to get truthful with our own hearts. Who are we really? What must change so that we can return to the road of truth? Are we willing to acknowledge our need, so that we can approach Him for help?

Help me, Lord,

Jim Corbett