“Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.’ And he answered and said to Him, ‘Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.’ Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’ But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” —Mark 10:17-22
I am about to re-read a book written by Os Guinness, “The Call” that has significantly clarified my understanding of God’s call in my life . Actually, Martie and I are going to read it together. I have gotten out of the habit of reading, actually. I much prefer to be visually and audibly “fed” through the television. It makes one lazy I think. Like floating on an inner-tube on a river or lake. You really don’t have to exert any effort – just sit there and let the wind and water take you where it will. Filling your mind with drivel and seasoning it with things that you ought not to hear or see from time to time. Speaking of drifting, I think I am drifting away from the point of this devotion. By the way, Martie is a voracious reader – I envy that quality in her. There I go again!
When the young man approached Jesus, I think what he wanted to hear from Jesus was that he had chosen the high ground in life. That he was a good person, proven by the good things he had done. That he was the source and purveyor of “good” in his little world. And, therefore, he should be granted eternal life as his just reward. The idea that in order to be right with God and worthy of eternal life you must do good things. He had is backwards, like most of the world does. It doesn’t end with God, it starts with God. The young man was not acting out of devotion to God. His devotion was to the world and its riches. Without those, he could not be who he was. When Jesus told him that he had to abandon his first love – the young man stumbled at the thought.
God, the father, is the source. It is far too easy to allow this earthly life to define what it means to be good and right and worthy to have eternal life. We want to define what “right” is. It is the same problem that Adam and Eve struggled with. The young man was saying to Jesus – “As one do-gooder to another, don’t you think I have done enough to deserve a place in heaven?” Jesus answer was simple, “You can never do enough – be good enough to be worthy of being in the presence of a holy God.” What are you trusting in? What is it that commands the devotion of your heart? Your retirement fund? Your family? Your good works? Martie and I have laid our lives down – rejected the opportunity for success by the world’s standards to serve others. But that is not good enough. It is so easy to get the cart before the horse. Our lives – your life must be a reflection of our devotion to the Father by faith in the Son empowered by the Spirit. Merely doing good – sacrificing for others – that is not what God is asking for.
“For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.” – Psalm 51:16-17
So my friends, go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up your cross, and follow Jesus ….. In other words – give your heart and its devotion to God – just like Jesus. It is a spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1-2) not an act of your will or determination. Stop trying to be good and put your trust and devotion in the Father (Prov 3:5-6) who IS good.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
No comments:
Post a Comment