Jesus
said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.”— Matthew
22:37-38
When the rich young man approached Jesus (Mark 10:17-22) I think the man was certain that he had done everything right. He had not murdered anyone, not committed adultery, not stolen, had not born false witness, not defrauded, and had honored his father and mother. He had obeyed all of the last 6 of the 10 commandments. But Jesus told him there was something that he lacked and then told him to sell everything and give it to the poor. You see, God looks at the heart of man, man looks at the deeds of man.
God wants our total devotion like Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-38 and God said to Moses and declared in the first 4 of the 10 commandments. Man is satisfied with a form of godliness. We think that the answer is in the “DO-ing”, when the answer is really in the “Be-ing”. The young man went away sad because what he offered Jesus as proof that he should be given eternal life was a not good enough. It started and ended with him and not God. Jesus asked him to give up the very thing that the man loved more than God – money and possessions. The man had it backwards.
Doing good does not result in being good. Being good results in doing good. James wrote that faith without producing works is dead (James 2:17) Because of our faith, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) should be evident in us. Good works are a natural result of true faith. It is not the other way around. True faith is not a result of good works. (Ephesians 2:8) “We are saved by grace through faith, not of works.”
The young man was doing the right thing for the wrong reason. King David said “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. …. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51)
Is there something in your heart that demands a greater devotion than you have for God? Something that you trust in more than the One who is trust worthy. Our Redeemer is faithful and true and is deserving of our total devotion. Take some time to examine your heart … let the Holy Spirit search in those locked closets and clean them out. Fulfill the purpose for which you were created and saved, bringing glory to God begins with a heart totally devoted to Him.
When the rich young man approached Jesus (Mark 10:17-22) I think the man was certain that he had done everything right. He had not murdered anyone, not committed adultery, not stolen, had not born false witness, not defrauded, and had honored his father and mother. He had obeyed all of the last 6 of the 10 commandments. But Jesus told him there was something that he lacked and then told him to sell everything and give it to the poor. You see, God looks at the heart of man, man looks at the deeds of man.
God wants our total devotion like Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-38 and God said to Moses and declared in the first 4 of the 10 commandments. Man is satisfied with a form of godliness. We think that the answer is in the “DO-ing”, when the answer is really in the “Be-ing”. The young man went away sad because what he offered Jesus as proof that he should be given eternal life was a not good enough. It started and ended with him and not God. Jesus asked him to give up the very thing that the man loved more than God – money and possessions. The man had it backwards.
Doing good does not result in being good. Being good results in doing good. James wrote that faith without producing works is dead (James 2:17) Because of our faith, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) should be evident in us. Good works are a natural result of true faith. It is not the other way around. True faith is not a result of good works. (Ephesians 2:8) “We are saved by grace through faith, not of works.”
The young man was doing the right thing for the wrong reason. King David said “Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. …. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51)
Is there something in your heart that demands a greater devotion than you have for God? Something that you trust in more than the One who is trust worthy. Our Redeemer is faithful and true and is deserving of our total devotion. Take some time to examine your heart … let the Holy Spirit search in those locked closets and clean them out. Fulfill the purpose for which you were created and saved, bringing glory to God begins with a heart totally devoted to Him.
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