Splinters from a Floor.

I was talking with some youth minister friends of mine over a nice dinner at Applebees. We were discussing many important topics such as the essence of life, sports. A few of the guys that I was eating with were Duke basketball fans. Well in 1992 in the Eastern Regional Final to go to the championship game Kentucky and Duke were facing off. With Kentucky up by one point Grant Hill passes the ball the length of the basketball court to Christian Laettner. Laettner dribbles once and then turns around and ends the hopes of a National Championship for the Wildcats. Well, then conversation at our table took a turn that sort of disturbed me. Apparently Duke University is selling the splinters from the floor of the basketball floor. But not the whole floor. Just the spot where Laettner drilled the epic game winner. Isn't it crazy what people find valuable these days. I find it humorous that people have a hard time giving their tithes and offerings, or their time serve but people can spend hundreds of dollars for s splinter of a basketball floor. I am not talking about a plank to the floor, I am not even talking about the ball that he shot. We are talking about a splinter of the floor for crying out loud. Or even worse instead of spending our time serving we glue ourselves to the television for the finale of Dancing with the Stars or American Idol.

In Luke 18 Jesus addresses a man that has a lot of money:

A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

¹⁹"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'^b]">[b]"

²¹"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

²²When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

²³When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. ²⁴Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

²⁶Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"

²⁷Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

²⁸Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!"

Jesus says do not hold anything more important than me.
Think about this next question honestly with yourself. No matter how hard it is be honest. Are you the rich young ruler or are you Peter and the Disciples who left all they had and held nothing more important that Jesus?