Imagine thinking loving God is not enough. We would never say that, of course, but what we do with our lives speaks for us.
You can hear it from the man who approached Jesus one day. He asked, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life” (Matthew 19:16)? Jesus pointed him to the commandments. “Which ones?” he asked Jesus. That’s a fair question when you realize there are more than six hundred of them.
The Lord gave him seven. In the moment, the man is not convinced that is enough.
There’s still something lacking for him. In a sense, he was right. But what was lacking was not something new for him to do. There’s no reason to think he didn’t follow the commandments. That was a central part of life. Jesus knew, though, there was something else. Not something new. Just something the man may have forgotten. Maybe he didn’t think it applied to him.
When I write or preach about certain topics, I do wonder how many people will think the lesson is for someone else. If you have that feeling when you listen or read, be careful. That might be the equivalent of skipping leg day.
In body building, people skip leg day because they’re more focused on the aesthetics of their upper body muscles. Lower body workouts, though, are just as important.
So, don’t skip patience day or forgiveness day. Chances are, we all need more lessons on pride than we realize. Love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are lessons for us all.
We come to find out the man who approached Jesus had a lot of possessions. Perhaps Jesus realized the young man had forgotten about the command to not covet. Again, that wouldn’t have been something new. Perhaps just something he hadn’t felt applied to his faith. Maybe his possessions had already become an idol.
Whatever the case, Jesus gave him something to do. And the young man went away sad.
We’re left to consider the true joy and wholeness the man left behind when he did. What are we missing when we don’t pursue holiness? What thing does God want you to give up that you’re not willing to?
Don’t be fooled. Chances are, there’s always an answer to that.
Stay blessed…john
