Learning from The Rich Young Ruler – Part 1

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Luke 18:22

Luke records: ‘A certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him…“You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’” And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich’ (vv. 18-23). This man had two problems, and Jesus put His finger on each. First, he discovered that keeping a bunch of religious rules cannot fill the emptiness in your soul; only a relationship with Christ can do that. Second, he discovered that he didn’t just own riches, his riches owned him and kept him from following Christ. He had so much potential. He could have leveraged his resources, his network, and his energy for kingdom causes, but he wanted to keep it all for himself. And the Bible captions his life in four words: ‘He became very sorrowful.’ Here’s the score. The rich young ruler eventually became the rich old ruler. Until the day he died he’d remember the words of Jesus: ‘Come, follow Me.’ And Jesus makes the same offer to you. If you say no, you’ll regret it at the end of your life. If you say yes, you’ll be rewarded with joy and a level of blessing you never knew was possible.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgive me when I choose to go my own way instead of following You. Help me get back on course. In Jesus’ Name, Amen