Warning
There are certain passages in Scripture that don’t whisper to us; they warn us.
They don’t soothe us; they summon us. They don’t coddle us into comfort… for they call us into confrontation with ourselves. And today’s warning comes wrapped in two scenes: One with a rich ruler who wanted eternal life, and one with wealthy oppressors who believed their abundance made them untouchable.
In Luke 18, a man with everything approaches Jesus hoping to add one more thing to his collection… salvation. He had status, morals, power, and possessions… but Jesus didn’t ask about any of that. He went right to the place where the man was hiding his real loyalty:
“Sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” — Luke 18:22
It was surgical.
It was Precise.
It was a scalpel to the soul.
Jesus didn’t want the man’s money… He wanted the man’s master.
Because the truth is: Most of us don’t know what we’re ruled by… until God asks for it.
And that man walked away sorrowful. Not because Jesus demanded too much,
but because he loved too much of what Jesus asked him to let go.
James continues this warning with a more thunderous tone… calling out those who hoard wealth, exploit others, and live in luxury while ignoring the cries of the oppressed.
“Your gold and silver are corroded… You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence… You have condemned and murdered the righteous person.”
— James 5:3,5–6
These verses aren’t about money nor exclusively. They’re about misalignment.
They’re about misplaced worship. The kind of life where we get so full of ourselves that God can’t fill us with anything eternal.
Jesus wasn’t warning the rich ruler about being wealthy… He was warning him about being owned by what he owned.
James wasn’t condemning prosperity… he was condemning exploitation, arrogance, neglect, and the illusion that abundance excuses injustice.
Both passages are mirrors. Not windows to judge others through… simply mirrors to see ourselves.
The question is not: “Do I have wealth?”
The question is: Does anything have me?
A warning is an invitation.
A chance to course-correct before the cliff.
A reminder that eternity has requirements, and discipleship has demands.
If Jesus asked you today for the one thing you’ve never surrendered…
the relationship, the identity, the addiction, the ambition, the comfort…
would you release it… or would you walk away sorrowful?
If God shined a flashlight into the attic of your heart…
What would He find stacked behind your obedience?
The possession you protect?
The habit you justify?
The secret you cradle?
The status you worship?
The narrative you hide behind because letting it go means becoming accountable for your own becoming?
Be honest.
What do you cling to that’s quietly corroding your character like James warned?
What luxury of ego or convenience of silence allows injustice… in your family, your friendships, your patterns, your faith… to continue unchallenged?
And here’s the real sting:
Would you still follow Jesus if it cost you the thing you love the most?
Not the thing you struggle with… the thing you treasure.
Warnings only feel harsh to the part of us that refuses to surrender.
So consider this your gentle alarm:
The longer you delay obedience, the heavier your possessions become.
And eventually, what you refuse to release starts releasing its grip on your soul.
Let this be the day you choose freedom over familiarity.
Courage over comfort.
Surrender over sorrow.
Because We’re all responsible for ourselves… and that consist of knowing that God isn’t trying to take something from you… He’s trying to take something off you.