The Man Who Had Everything

What is the one thing Jesus may be asking you to surrender that you have been holding back?

Speaker: Pastor Toby Cavanaugh
Date: June 28, 2026

Jesus doesn't ask us to surrender everything because He wants to take from us—He asks because our lives are safer in His hands than in our own. Don't miss this powerful message from our very own Pastor Toby Cavanaugh!

Here's a 5-day devotional guide based on this sermon:

Day 1: Who Do You Believe He Is?

Mark 10:17–18 | John 14:6

The rich young ruler called Jesus "Good Teacher." Jesus pressed him on it: only God is truly good. If that is true, who do you believe I am? He was not debating an adjective. He was asking the question that changes everything. Before we can give Jesus anything, we have to settle who He actually is. If He is only a teacher, total surrender is unreasonable. If He is God, it is the smallest thing He deserves.

Day 2: You Lack One Thing

Mark 10:19–22 | Luke 9:23–24

The man had kept the commandments since he was a boy. Jesus did not dispute it. He looked at him with love and said, "You lack one thing." Not ten things. One. For this man, it was his wealth. For someone else, it may be a relationship, a plan, a reputation, or a desire they have kept hidden even from themselves. The invitation to follow Jesus always costs the one thing we are least willing to give.

Day 3: When Money Wants to Be Your Master

Mark 10:23–25 | Matthew 6:24

Jesus said it plainly: "You cannot serve both God and money." Money is not neutral. By its very nature, it competes for your trust, your attention, and your security. It promises to take care of you. It asks you to arrange your life around it. The question is not whether you have money. The question is whether money has you. Naming that honestly is often the first step toward freedom.

Day 4: Impossible, but Not with God

Mark 10:26–27 | Romans 8:26

When the disciples heard that wealth made entering the kingdom harder, they asked, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God." Total surrender is not something we can manufacture through willpower. Every time we have tried, we have failed. But God can do in us what we cannot do ourselves. The prayer is not try harder. It is, "Lord, do in me what I cannot do."

Day 5: The Man Who Had Nothing Gained Everything

Mark 10:28–31 | Acts 12:12

Peter said, "See, we have left everything and followed You." Peter was not a remarkable man by the world's standards. He was ordinary, uneducated, and brash. He had nothing to offer except total surrender. And Jesus built His church through him. The rich young ruler had everything and walked away with nothing. Peter had nothing and gained everything.