Christ inviting the young man to follow him and sell his riches (Mark 10:17-27)

One story from the Bible (Mark 10:17-27) that hits close to home is when Jesus invites a wealthy young man to sell "whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor" in order to follow Him. It seems apparent that the young man believed in Christ and desired to learn more as he asked the Lord (while kneeling before Him), "Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" upon which Christ invited the young man to sell his possessions and "take up the cross, and follow me." This causes me to reflect upon what things or negative attributes I need to give up in order to more fully follow the Savior's example (multiple things come to mind!).

I'm not sure that Christ necessarily invited every single one of His followers to sell all their wealth to the poor in order to follow Him; however, the fact that Christ so directly required this man to sell his wealth makes me wonder if Christ gave this young man a specific, highly personalized invitation targeted just for him in order to test his faith. I think all of us are tested in unique ways, and the way in which we respond to those tests/trials will either strengthen or weaken our resolve to follow the Savior.

A trial can either be a "stumbling block" or a "stepping stool" in our journey of faith. Alma 62:41 from the Book of Mormon highlights this concept when discussing how two nations responded in different ways to the results from a prolonged war. One group of people hardened their hearts towards God due to length of the war, whereas another group of people became more humble and softened their hearts towards God.

What is something we lack or need to give up in order to become more Christ-like?

Read an awesome discourse here from Elder Neal A. Maxwell, a modern-day apostle, who speaks about how the the Lord will customize the curriculum for each of us in order to teach us the things we most need to know, and how He will set before us in life what we need, not always what we like.

The sketch is based on "Christ and the Rich Young Ruler" by Heinrich Hofmann.