Ezekiel 11-13
James 1
“‘All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?’” Matthew 19:20
In our generation, we can have everything the world has to offer and still be empty inside. We can be surrounded by abundance and know deep down that something is missing in our life. This is why when we walk into the self-help section of a bookstore, we see countless titles about pursuing the best life and seeking happiness. No matter how hard we try, it seems like happiness and fulfillment cannot be grasped.
This was the predicament of the rich young ruler who seemingly had everything life has to offer, but wanted more. He went up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus told him, “…If you want eternal life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:16-17). We could reinterpret Jesus’s response as, “If you want to enter life, please God by aligning your life to His law and obeying His command.”
To this, the young man asked, “Which ones?” (Matthew 19:18). We would assume Jesus’s answer to “keep the commands’’ would mean all of them, but the fact that the young man asked, “Which ones?” gives us an indication of how he had been living his life. He may have been cherry picking God’s Word, selecting which commands he preferred and which ones he could conveniently ignore or minimize in his life. Likewise, in our culture, there is a stream of spirituality that approaches God with the same disposition and posture that this man has—a commodification of God. It is like a transaction, not wanting to sincerely have a relationship with the Creator, but only curating parts of God that we like.
In response to the young man’s question, Jesus selected a sampling command and said, “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother, and ‘love your neighbour as yourself’” (Matthew 19:18-19). With boldness and confidence about his moral conduct, the young man declared, “All these I have kept, what do I still lack?” (Matthew 19:20). He had set his life up a certain way and was confident before God about how well he was doing: he had not killed anyone, slept with anybody outside of marriage or lied in court, but honoured his father and mother and loved his neighbours.
The young man thought Jesus would praise his good works and affirm he has eternal life. Yet, his arrogance and pride could not overcome the feeling that he was still lacking something—he was blind to the fact that he was a sinner in need of a Saviour.
Dear Jesus, open my eyes to see and know that I am in need of a Saviour. Thank You for being the Saviour of the world. By Your death on the cross for my sins, I can have eternal life. Praise You!
James 1
“‘All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?’” Matthew 19:20
In our generation, we can have everything the world has to offer and still be empty inside. We can be surrounded by abundance and know deep down that something is missing in our life. This is why when we walk into the self-help section of a bookstore, we see countless titles about pursuing the best life and seeking happiness. No matter how hard we try, it seems like happiness and fulfillment cannot be grasped.
This was the predicament of the rich young ruler who seemingly had everything life has to offer, but wanted more. He went up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus told him, “…If you want eternal life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:16-17). We could reinterpret Jesus’s response as, “If you want to enter life, please God by aligning your life to His law and obeying His command.”
To this, the young man asked, “Which ones?” (Matthew 19:18). We would assume Jesus’s answer to “keep the commands’’ would mean all of them, but the fact that the young man asked, “Which ones?” gives us an indication of how he had been living his life. He may have been cherry picking God’s Word, selecting which commands he preferred and which ones he could conveniently ignore or minimize in his life. Likewise, in our culture, there is a stream of spirituality that approaches God with the same disposition and posture that this man has—a commodification of God. It is like a transaction, not wanting to sincerely have a relationship with the Creator, but only curating parts of God that we like.
In response to the young man’s question, Jesus selected a sampling command and said, “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honour your father and mother, and ‘love your neighbour as yourself’” (Matthew 19:18-19). With boldness and confidence about his moral conduct, the young man declared, “All these I have kept, what do I still lack?” (Matthew 19:20). He had set his life up a certain way and was confident before God about how well he was doing: he had not killed anyone, slept with anybody outside of marriage or lied in court, but honoured his father and mother and loved his neighbours.
The young man thought Jesus would praise his good works and affirm he has eternal life. Yet, his arrogance and pride could not overcome the feeling that he was still lacking something—he was blind to the fact that he was a sinner in need of a Saviour.
Dear Jesus, open my eyes to see and know that I am in need of a Saviour. Thank You for being the Saviour of the world. By Your death on the cross for my sins, I can have eternal life. Praise You!
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