12/07/2011 - The steps to sanctification

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“Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21)
Nobody gets anything in life by chance. Those who want to be successful have to study and work hard because each victory is a step we take up towards success. Who can forget their first job or their first salary? And what about the pressure you have gone through to please your employer? How about the humiliations you suffered due to lack of experience? Well, those who have reached the top know very well that it is not easy to achieve success.
When it comes to faith the process is the same: when we hear about the Gospel for the first time our heart rejoices and a hope, a dream is born within us. Though we do not have to do anything to deserve God’s blessings, we are instructed to consecrate ourselves, to keep away from sin and to take our stand in Christ. Now, consecration is not always easy because the flesh is tricky and it tries to convince us that we do not need to be that “fanatic”. There are even some people who think it is impossible to stay away from sin and to live by faith. As a matter of fact, it is only through divine grace that a sinner manages to abandon his life of error. Yet, for us to get to the top with the Lord it is necessary to pay attention to His Word and to live on the confidence that comes to the hearts of those who believe in Jesus.
Our Master said that we can be perfect, but for that to occur we have to do something. Our flesh rebels against any attempt of losing something – just like our body reacts to that extra weight: it prefers to put on more weight to having to go through any sacrifice in order to lose the excess. In life, if we strive to be perfect, we have to fulfil what is recommended by the ideal prescription: walking towards perfection.
The Lord’s command is to sell everything you own. What are your assets? Many things, right? Such as dreams, habits, your own
desires, etc. Nonetheless, Jesus said that the right thing to do is to sell everything. If your assets are material, sell them and give them all to the poor; dedicate your life to help those who are in need – especially the spiritually poor, who are the ones that need our help the most because they are lost and wandering in search of happiness. As they move about aimlessly they get drunk, do drugs, watch immoral movies, they scam people only to feel a sense of accomplishment but in so doing they actually get nothing in return. If we sell our assets and give them to those people we will store up treasures in Heavens.
Suppose there is an extremely wealthy country where inflation does not exist, where there are no thieves and where money would generate huge profits. Any sensible investor would sell everything to invest their money there, wouldn’t he? Well, this land does exist and it will last for eternity. It is the Heavens! What will you do to take possession of it? If you decide to obey Jesus’ instructions, come and follow Him!
In Christ, with love
R. R. Soares