Luke 18:18-23                                                 That ONE thing he could not give up We all have them. That one thing we cannot seem to walk away from, that one thing that seems to be a snag in our walk with Christ. It could be anything, it could be something in of itself is not even sinful, but could be something that we allow to get in the way of our fellowship with Father that makes an action one that instead of being healthy something we are making a god.  That thing that gets in our way could be building a car, fishing, camping, or even a relationship that we are in.  All can be good things, but when we let them gain control over us, instead of us controlling them and keeping our eyes not on the prize we could win at the car show, but on Christ then we have a problem.  I have heard many people say, “I feel closer to God in the woods than I ever could in a church.”  That may be true in some sense, but my question is do they really enter worship in the woods, or are they using that for an excuse to skip church and spend the weekend in the woods.  I appreciate the person who says, “Look Mike, summers are short up here, I am going to spend the weekend in the woods, or at a campground with my family.  That person is honest with themselves and with our Father.  The truth of this scripture is this.  We all know what it is that is standing between us and Father.  We all know what it is that keeps us from achieving that true intimacy with our Father that Christ prayed for in John 17. Get rid of it.  Do whatever it takes to draw close to Father, and he will draw close to us through the Son by the Spirit. Go in peace Michael