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There’s a story in the Bible that forces us to take a hard look at our "stuff" and our heart.
Mark 10:17-22 says:

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?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered: "No one is good--except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

This is not a hard passage to understand, although it is full of power when we sort out the timeless truths taught. The only thing that might give us pause is Jesus’ surprising question, "Why do you call me good?" And then his statement that only God is good. Jesus is not denying his divinity here. In fact, he might be declaring it in a rather remarkable way. Regardless, he is telling this rich man that he needed to place his total reliance on God, not on man, not on his wealth, and not on his favored position in society.

Now, I want to state right up front here that I have some sympathy for this guy. He seems like a right honorable fellow. I love the fact that he ran up to Jesus and then knelt down. He obviously respects Jesus, and he shows by his responses and his actions that he believes that what Jesus is going to tell him will be true. He honored Jesus, and that’s good! Would that we would be so hungry for a word from Jesus that we would run to him, kneel before him, and ask him to teach us.

Let’s be honest: which of us, from time to time, wouldn’t we love to be rich… and love to be young… and love to be in charge?

In fact, how much of what our culture today promotes as the key to happiness is precisely what this guy possesses? But he knows he is missing something, that’s why he comes to Jesus so boldly. And it’s important, very important, to notice how Jesus dealt with him. Jesus wasn’t mad at him because he was rich. Jesus didn’t envy him. Jesus cared about him. In fact, the text tells us that Jesus loved him! Jesus loved him so much that he couldn’t tell the rich man simply what he wanted to hear. No, Jesus loved him so much that he told him what he needed to hear.

What did he need to hear? He needed to hear that the things he was trusting in could not give him what he was looking for. Over and over again, the Bible tells us that Jesus knew men’s hearts. And he knew this man’s heart. And I believe that Jesus knew that this man was trusting in at least three things to get him to heaven.

First, he was trusting in his performance: He proudly announces that he had kept the Law since his youth.

Secondly, he was trusting in his position: He had learned that his position as a leader, a ruler, and a rich one at that, that his position brought with it certain privileges.

Finally, he was trusting in his possessions: He had probably been able to buy anything he had ever wanted; maybe, just maybe, he thought, he could even buy his way into heaven.

This is what he brought to the table to present to Jesus. This is the "stuff" of his life. Jesus understands that, he pities him, and he presents this man with the defining moment of his life.

There are moments when God brings us face-to-face with the truth. This was one of those moments. Jesus essentially said to him: "Even though you may think you have a lot of stuff to offer, you are lacking one thing – and it is something that you can only get by getting rid of your stuff and following me."

Jesus is saying to him the exact same thing he is saying to you and me: "I don’t want your stuff; I want your heart." In Luke 12:34 it is stated this way, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Jesus knows that whatever our heart is set on clearly shows what is most important, most treasured to us. And if God owns our hearts, our stuff becomes his stuff and doesn’t get in our way. That’s why he tells the man to give all he has to the poor, because it’s in the way and it could be such a blessing to others.

Consider this: Jesus is offering freedom from mere financial security to indescribably awesome eternal security. John 6:68 says, "Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life.’"

Simon Peter, for all the impetuousness we see at times from him, showed that he "got it" when he was faced with a similar situation as was the rich man. Peter, a fisherman, was called by Jesus to leave "his stuff" behind and to follow Jesus. He did it… immediately. He trusted Jesus, and by following Him he learned what dedicated Christ followers have been learning since then -- that only Jesus can truly provide the security we all seek and the promise of an eternal existence that the Bible says is so awesome it can’t be described and it can’t even be imagined.

I think the rich man understood that when Jesus asked for his heart, he had come to a crossroads, to a moment that would not only define his here and now, but his hereafter, as well. That’s why he went away sad. I guess it turns out that his heart belonged to his stuff, after all. You see, it doesn’t come down to what we possess; it comes down to what possesses us. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do."

King Solomon, the "wisest man ever" (and one of the richest), warned us to guard our hearts, because our heart affects everything we do. And when our heart is set on the stuff of our life instead of the source of our life, we got trouble – with a capital "T" and that rhymes with "P" and that stands for purpose.

It’s important to remember that stuff, in and of itself, isn’t bad. Money isn’t bad. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, the Bible says. In fact, the Bible clearly teaches that the stuff of our lives can be and should be viewed as a blessing from God. Look at it this way: Stuff is a blessing from God, if blessing God is the purpose of our stuff.

Deuteronomy 6:5 says, "And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." Jesus called this verse "The Great Commandment." When he gently and lovingly informed the rich man that he lacked one thing, this is what he meant.

Who or what possesses our hearts? Ezekiel 11:19 says, "And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their hearts of stone and give them tender hearts instead."

Singleness of heart. A new spirit. Tenderness of heart. That’s what God promises us if rather than walking away sad we cling to him and say: "I am yours."

Let me tell you about a guy I’ve really come to appreciate. Guy’s name is Augie

In some ways, Augie is an interesting contrast to our rich, young ruler friend. Augie didn’t keep those commandments that Jesus listed. In fact, he’ll be the first to tell you that he especially struggled with that "do not commit adultery" thing. He’ll tell you that he literally had a girl in every port, and he has admitted that he fathered children out of wedlock. He’ll tell you about his struggle with addictions. He’ll tell you that he spent years and years dabbling in and diving into other religions, even the occult. He admits that he really didn’t want to find what he was looking for in Christianity. But, he’ll also tell you that his mom, Monica, never stopped praying for him and never stopped loving him, and never stopped encouraging him to put all his trust in Jesus.

Well, Augie got desperate. He started reading the Bible, started going to church (even though at first he felt kind of out of it), and started asking a lot of questions of those who identified with Christ. After a while, the fog began to clear, he was able to understand what God was asking of him, and he took all the "stuff" that had been his struggling life to that point… and he did just the opposite of the rich young ruler… Augie gave all his stuff – good and bad – to God. In his own words, he gave his heart to Jesus.

Augie’s dead now. In fact, he died almost 1600 years ago. Yah, Augie has been dead a long time, but his wonderful, insightful, timeless writings have encouraged Christ followers, including me, throughout the centuries. Augie is none other than Saint Augustine.

In writing about his own spiritual journey – and the journey of every one of us – he said this: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you."

Augustine had done it all, you might say. In the process, he had wreaked a lot of havoc in his life and in the life of others. His "stuff" had gotten in the way of what he was really searching for. He was searching for a new heart.

Friends, you know what this means? It means that if you want to give your heart to Christ, you can, because he will give you the strength to do it… and he will take away your heart of stone and give you a tender heart of flesh.

The rich young ruler is now dust. His stuff is dust. Think what he might have been, for God’s glory. I can think of no way to close our consideration of the rich, young ruler than with these prophetic words of Jim Elliot, a young man who gave his heart to God and was later to give his life in the jungles of Ecuador:

"He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." –Jim Elliot