“Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” Mark 9:17-19
The story of the rich, young, ruler is a memorable yet tragic one. He had it all going in this life and on top of that he even had concern for the next life. But sadly, he walked away from Jesus. I wonder if he had reached that empty point already in life where he realized material things do not satisfy the soul. I wish he would have trusted that by following Jesus, he really would have found ‘eternal life’. This young man was fulfilling the second great command, while ignoring the first: Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
How about me? Have I given everything up to follow him? Am I experiencing ‘eternal’ or the higher life? Yes!
Jesus, what an offer you make. I love that anything entrusted to You is well placed. I have found You are never a debtor to any man. You give far more to me than I could ever sacrifice for You. You after all, are my Savior, the One who gave it all for me. I belong to You and all I have is Yours.
