DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- ONE THING YOU LACK

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – ONE THING YOU LACK

"Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you  will have treasure in heaven, and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.' " (Mark 10:21)

This is a story about a good man.  He had a heart for God, and kept His law from his youth. As far as he was concerned he was blameless. 

Jesus shines the light on the real situation.  This man was very good at keeping the laws that pertained to other people.  When Jesus listed the laws, they were all from the second half of the 10 commandments.  But not so much when it came to the laws that pertained to God.

There are lots of people who consider themselves pretty good because they treat their neighbors well.  They don't murder or commit adultery.  They don't steal.  They are truthful and honest in their speech.  They don't defraud anyone.  And they treat their parents well.  

What's not to love about a man like that?  Jesus loved him because he had a good and honest heart.  But there was one area that Jesus pinpointed that perhaps he had not considered.  It was the first commandment:  You shall not have any other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3).   He was wealthy, and his possessions were more important to him than following Jesus.  He was not willing to forsake all to follow Jesus.  

The reality is that his possessions were his god.  He loved them more than God.  They were more important to him than his walk with Jesus.

It may not be money.  It may be because of family, or status in the community, or other desires that I am not willing to commit wholly to God.  I may be a good person, but if God is not first in my life, then the one thing I lack is the most important.     

Love,  Dad