Behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honour your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Matthew 19:16-22
Have you discovered that being moral and religious will never free you from the misery of living for yourself? Moral and religious people can be as selfish as they come, because being moral and being religious does not have the power to break the default life of living for self.
That was true of the rich young ruler. He was living for himself. He wanted everything he could get in this world, and then he wanted heaven too. So when Jesus said, “Sell everything you have and then come follow me,” he couldn’t do it. That’s why he went away sad.
A Christian is a person who no longer lives for himself or herself, but for Christ who died for their sake and was raised. You have lived long enough for yourself. Why would you carry on any longer in the misery of trying to be your own Lord and Saviour?
What would keep you from praying these words? “Jesus, I’m done living for myself. In the light of who You are and what You have accomplished on my behalf, I can no longer live for myself. I must give myself to You and live for You, so that Your love will control me.”
