A young man once asked Jesus what he had to do to have eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17). He said, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” He did not like our Lord’s response. Jesus said, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21).

Because this young man had many possessions, and because he was too attached to them, he went away sorrowful (ver. 22). He held back his possessions because they meant more to him than eternal life.

Are you holding back anything from God? It is easy to condemn this young man without first examining our own lives. While Jesus has not commanded us to sell what we possess and give to the poor, we do have a responsibility to give.

1 Corinthians 16:2 (ESV)
² On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

Are you holding back from God by not giving as you have been prospered? Are you exchanging your soul for a little financial gain? Since we have more revelation than the rich man in the parable of our Lord, would it not make us more attached to our physical possessions than he was if we allow them to stand in the way of our eternal salvation? We should all contemplate the question Jesus asked in the book of Matthew.

Matthew 16:26 (ESV)
²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul…?

Money is not the only thing we can withhold from God. We can rob God of our time. Time is more precious than money, but only if we use it in the right way. How do we use our time correctly? One way is by taking advantage of the time we have to serve the Lord.

Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)
¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

The word time here is kairos and refers, not to chronological time, but to a specific or fixed time. It denotes the idea of opportunity. Are we using every opportunity to serve the Lord and further His cause? If we are not, it could be said that we are holding back even more than the rich man did.

Another thing we can give is prayer. Or, what about a good attitude? We can also give our talents to God. I think you get the idea. When we do not give our all to God, we are holding back from Him and could be exchanging our souls for it. Unlike the young rich man, we must realize that there is nothing more important than the salvation of our souls. Whether it is time, money, or anything else of value that we can use to glorify God and further the cause of Christ, let us make it a practice to never hold anything back.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.