What Are Our The Priorities Of Our Hearts? And What Do They Reveal About What We Cannot Let Go Of?

Good Morning Friends,

Today we explore what a costly sign and a searching Savior reveal about the health of our faith. We learn that when God exposes what we cling to, He is inviting us into a deeper freedom. So, What Are Our The Priorities Of Our Hearts? And What Do They Reveal About What We Cannot Let Go Of?

Scripture Summary

Ezekiel 24:15–23 God tells Ezekiel that his wife—the “delight of his eyes”—will die suddenly, and Ezekiel must not mourn publicly. His silence becomes a prophetic sign: Israel has lost what is most precious (the temple, the presence of God), yet they refuse to see their spiritual ruin. Ezekiel’s personal grief mirrors Israel’s spiritual condition. Their hearts are revealed by what they cannot let go.

Matthew 19:16–22 A wealthy young man asks Jesus what good thing he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus exposes the deeper issue: the man’s heart is chained to his wealth. When Jesus invites him to follow—requiring him to release what he treasures most—the man walks away sorrowful. His possessions possess him.

Message: Both of today’s passages confront us with a truth we resist: God often reveals our idols by touching what we treasure most. Not to harm us, but to heal us. Ezekiel’s experience is shocking. God uses the prophet’s personal loss as a mirror for Israel’s spiritual blindness. They have lost the very presence of God, yet they mourn only the loss of comfort, security, and familiarity. Their grief is misaligned because their loves are disordered and as Presbyterians we do so like things done in an orderly fashion. As N. T. Wright often emphasizes, idolatry is not merely bad behavior, it is misdirected worship. Israel’s tears fall in the wrong place. The rich young ruler is similarly exposed. He comes to Jesus with sincerity, moral achievement, and spiritual curiosity. But Jesus presses into the one place the man cannot surrender. Tim Keller would say: Jesus is not asking for one more good deed, He is asking for the throne of the man’s heart. The invitation to “follow Me” is not a demand for poverty; it is a call to freedom. But the man cannot imagine life without the thing he trusts most. Both stories reveal a painful but liberating truth: God will sometimes allow what we cling to, to be shaken, not to destroy us, but to show us what cannot save us.

Ezekiel’s silence and the young man’s sorrow both expose the same spiritual condition: we want God, but we also want to keep control. We want eternal life, but we also want our comforts. We want resurrection, but we resist crucifixion.

And So, Jesus’ invitation remains the same today. “Let go of what cannot give you life, and follow Me.” This is not loss, it is liberation. This is not deprivation, it is discipleship.  This is not cruelty, it is the kindness that leads to true life. So we are to: Ask honestly: What is the “delight of my eyes”—the thing I believe I cannot live without? Name the idol: Where do I resist God’s invitation because obedience feels too costly? Receive the freedom: Jesus never asks us to release anything He will not replace with Himself. Follow boldly: The path of surrender is the path of joy, even when it begins with sorrow.

Pray Lord Jesus, that You reveal the places where our loves are disordered and our trust misplaced. Pray You give us courage to release what cannot save us and to follow You with an undivided heart. Pray You expose our idols and bring healing. Pray that those times where God calls us to surrender, You make it joy filled. Pray we realize that Jesus is our greatest treasure. Amen.

Blessings,

John Lawson