Hmm, did you know the devil does not leave you alone just because you became a christian? He does however have to flee when you give him his marching orders. Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan you are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Mathew 16:23 N.I.V. Did you know a robber does not stop robbing just because he almost gets caught? However, he will stop when his heart has been changed or the desire to steal has been filled with another desire. We are no different, when we choose not to walk in the newness that Christ has paid the price for us to have.
Did you know when you claim to be christian you put a bulls eye target on your actions! People, usually your friends and family members are waiting to see if you are going to mess up, here is a well kept secret for all new Christians. “YOU ARE GOING TO MESS UP! People should not look for your faults without confessing their own. We need to be encouragers not discouragers. But the Bible tells us in Paul’s words this. ” Brother’s I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do forgetting what is behind me I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 N.I.V.
I was reading today in Mathew 19 about the rich young man. Now a man came up to Jesus and said, ” Teacher what good thing must I do to get eternal life.”? ” Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life obey the commandments.”
” Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, ” Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself” “All these I have kept,” the young man said, ” What do I still lack”? Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go sell your possession and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” Mathew 19: 16-21 N.I.V.
God already knew his heart. The rich young man asked Jesus “what good thing must I do.” Jesus tells him first to obey the commandments. in return he asked him “which ones.” Jesus tells him. Now, the rich young man is feeling good about himself by replying,” this I have done.” don’t miss this. But he realizes there is still something missing he asked then “what do I still lack.” You might think he must have been starting to feel really good about his eternal salvation at this point. But he knew there was still something not right. Jesus knew this but on purpose he left out the one thing he knew he would not keep. Then Jesus tells him to go sell all that you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and then he tells him to come follow him. God spoke these words at his baptism ” hear is my son whom I am well pleased. Jesus tells the rich young man so if you are wanting to be perfect no where else does Jesus make this offer to anyone.
The rich man’s own words, were “what good thing must I do.” He was already wealthy and I am sure he thought he would be able to do some type of good deed maybe help a family out or help build a building he wanted his task to be something he could do or buy so he could receive eternal life. Jesus knew his heart and he knew he was keeping with the commandments that were in place but he offered him what he knew his soul was searching for all the riches in the world could not stop the emptiness he was feeling.
Sometimes we are asking the same thing to God. “Father, what good deed can I do?” I go to church and Sunday school; I place my tithes in the offering plate. I feel since you have already blessed me to be able to do these things; I don’t want to press my luck. So, I will let someone else teach or serve. I just want to sit here in the pew and take in these Bible stories and go on living my life. Jesus was telling the rich young man this. “Child after you let go of the one thing that will keep you out of receiving eternal life, then come follow me.”
Why would you follow someone or why would you want someone to follow you? The answer is simple so you can teach them, or so they can be taught! Remember, after the young rich man established he must be a good man. Jesus showed him his faults, his pride, his joy for living on this earth. Jesus is telling him, “Let this go and I will teach you like Peter and the rest to be fishers of men. The young rich man walks away with a bigger hole in his heart then when he first arrived. Teacher, “what good deed must I do?” He knew there was something missing, something more ah, but when he left the presence of our Lord and Savior; he knew exactly what it was… Do You Know What’s Missing?
hang in there because … were gonna get there..
K.L.Mundstock