Wednesday, April 22, 2015

You Still Have Some Growing

Matthew 19:20
 
20The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"
 
The scripture where Jesus counsels the rich young ruler has been talked about many times; often from the stand point of money and possessions. But God revealed something else to me over the last few days about this scripture. The rich young ruler approached Jesus with a certain arrogance. How you ask? Great question. First he assumed that eternal life was earned just as the NKJV Study Bible notes. When Jesus said to, "keep the commandments," it was because he knew that the young ruler was basing his question from the perspective of the law of Moses given by God. Unfortunately, in the kingdom of God there are many who view God from the legalistic perspective and forget the one concept Jesus came to show and teach. Jesus simply comes from the perspective of love. The young man responded to Jesus that he kept the laws from his youth. Again, there are many who operate from the law and not from love. That was the point Jesus wanted to make. First of all, your salvation and gift of eternal life are gifts. You cannot do anything more to earn a gift. A gift is freely given. Second, no matter how many of the commandments you think  you might have "kept" from whenever you first acknowledged God in your life, you will have failed somewhere because the word says we all "fall short of the glory of God." You can grow up in church all your life and still miss who Jesus is. Jesus is about love. He is not selfish, self-seeking, greedy, envious, etc. He is simply the epitome of love. But most of all, Jesus wanted to show the young man, from the place of love and truth, that he, though he knew the law still lacked in some areas, even within the commandments that he couldn't even see from his own blind spot. No matter how perfect you think you may be, Jesus through love, will show you how imperfect you and I really are but that His love for you and I does not fail. Jesus keeps it "100" as the young people say. But even in His realness with you, He still loves you. You cannot earn eternal life. It is a gift. No matter how long you have walked with Jesus, you still have some growing to do. You have not arrived. The apostle Paul said that you are to work out your salvation. The NKJV Study Bible provides the translation as, "working out faith in daily lives." Faith is a process. Growth is a process and neither ends until the day you take your last breath.
 
 
P.S. I hope you will join me on Saturday, May 2nd from 10am-6pm on The White House Ellipse during the White House Prayer and Book Fair. It's open to the public. I would love to have some face time with you. Check out the www.getyourjoyinthemorning.com website for upcoming events.