Lesson 1: To Be A Saint: Giving Up Everything

What does it take to be a Saint? What does it take to reach such an amazing honor bestowed by God and witnessed by the faithful?

Must I give up all of my belongings even if they do not come between God and myself? I have a roof over my head, I have clothes, a computer, many books, cds, a television, a car. But in these things I find purpose for God. On my computer I witness, I spread the Gospel, I take part in fellowship. Of my many books, the vast majority are religious texts, Bibles, writings by the Saints, devotionals, etc. In them I find God speaking to me. Even in my cd collection I find God, listening to music that inspires me to be a better Christian. And on my television I watch and learn about God, about those who need him, about things which I should pray for, etc.

So what do I give up? Those things which I can live without? I can live without almost all of the things I own. Is it that I own them that I must readdress? I give them freely to God in what I do with them and with how I lend them to others. You are reading this because I have a computer and I pray that it inspires you.

This past Sunday's readings included the story of the wealthy man coming to Jesus and asking him what he must do to inherit the Kingdom of God. Jesus tells him to obey the commandments. The man says that he has always adhered to them. Jesus then tells him that he has much wealth and to give up all that he owns, for it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy man to enter the Kingdom of God. The wealthy man then walks away sad, for he had many possessions.

I've heard people say that the moral of that story above all else is to give up that which comes between you and God. The wealthy man walked away sad because his possessions were something he would not part with, therefore if we have possessions that we will not gladly part with for the glory of God, then we MUST give them up. This makes a lot of sense to me, though at times I do struggle. Sometimes I feel like maybe I'm not doing enough, but I find comfort in knowing that I can never do enough to be worthy, only what I'm capable of doing with God's help. I can never give up enough, for it's not the action of giving something up that justifies me before God, but the reason I give it up.


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