Rich Young Ruler

A certain ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.'" He replied, "I have kept all these since my youth." When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!"
—Luke 18:18-24

I identify with the rich young ruler. Though by local standards I’m not rich, I’m quickly losing young, and frankly I don’t rule over anyone; but if I am not intentional about my attitudes, mine and his can look shockingly similar.

Here is a young man who loves God. He has followed the Ten Commandments his whole life. He desires to spend eternity with God, and comes to Jesus, whom he recognizes as a godly man and wise teacher, to pose a question. Whether he came full of pride or insecurity is faintly revealed by the story. We only know that he came sincerely asking, for he became sad when he heard Jesus' answer.

Growing up in the Church, it has always been my desire to please God. I have endeavored to live a moral life. But every once in a while, there is an itching question in my mind. "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Like the young man in the story, I want to please God, and while I know that eternal life has been given to me through God's gracious sacrifice, and nothing I do can earn it, I do want to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. I do want to be made into the image of Jesus. And so Rich Young Ruler the question rolls around in my head.

So what must I do to have a different outcome than this young man? The answer is frustratingly simple. Hold nothing back. It wasn’t the money that Jesus was after. He had nothing against wealth. It was the fact that the young man had a "no" toward God. "No, God, there are something I won't do for you."

Every year we pray the "Wesleyan Covenant" committing ourselves wholly to God. But as the year rolls on, those words of commitment get drowned out by the roar of daily life. We must be intentional in our attitudes, guarding against anything that would become a "no" to God.

Homework this week: Examine your heart. Is there a question that God could ask you that your answer would be "no?" Pray for the strength to live a life totally surrendered to the will of God?

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