A FRANK ADMISSION
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
Mark 10:17-20 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
In today’s passage we have the opening of the story of the only person recorded in the New Testament who left the presence of Jesus worse than when he came. In other gospel accounts the man is identified as a “rich, young ruler.” He had position, power, and possessions. But he realized that something was lacking in his life. He wanted to be sure of eternal life. Jesus starts out by directing the young man to the law of Moses—and this is where the problem starts. The young man claims to have kept these laws all his life. Notice that Jesus does not question whether the young man is lying. Evidently the young man believed keeping external laws was the way to enjoy the good life of God. Many people have that view. They believe that if my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds then I will be able to enjoy eternal life with God. But the law was never intended by God to be a means of salvation. The law was simply a mirror to reveal the problems in the heart of man. The law should reveal to each of us that we are helpless to live a perfect life. We need God’s grace and mercy. We need the cross of Jesus where He paid a price we couldn’t pay. I think of the law with the idea of shaving. Every morning I look into the mirror to shave. The mirror drives me to get my razor and shaving cream. I don’t break off a piece of the mirror and attempt to shave my face with the mirror. The mirror is designed to show me my need for a razor. In the same way, the law was given by God to bring us to the realization we are sinners, and we can’t save ourselves. We need Jesus. We need His death and resurrection to free us from the consequences and control of sin. This young man was in trouble because his heart knew there was something he lacked. But his pride wouldn’t allow him to admit he wasn’t good as he was. Let’s begin our spiritual journey by admitting we are sinners, and we can’t save ourselves.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit I acknowledge today that I am a sinner, and I can’t save myself. I invite Jesus to be my Savior and Lord. I believe Jesus died and rose again to pay the price for my sins.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”
Without the Lord Jesus and His work on the cross I would still be trapped in my sins. Thank You Jesus for setting me free.
I am a born sinner but the goal is to die better than that !
In my deepest path of sin, Jesus died for me to allow me a new, fresh start each day. Thank you, Lord!