Word@Work Luke275 - Luke 18:18-22
Published: Thu, 01/20/11
Word@Work from BeaconLight
PURSUING THE GOAL
Luke 18:18-22 A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No-one is good--except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother.' " "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. 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." (NIV)
One of the features of being human is a deep desire to be confident about our personal eternal destiny. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Secularism, the conscious decision to push such thoughts away, only flourishes in a minority of the world's population: the rest are religious in one way or another - seeking an answer to the questions, "What happens for me after this life?", and, "How can I ensure I am good enough to meet God?"
Even the religious leader, who came to Jesus, was not confident of the answer despite having lived a highly disciplined life. Although he claimed to have kept all the commandments, he did not understand that God's standard is perfection. The ruler had not only deceived himself about his social righteousness, he also had a secret false god, an idol - money! Jesus said that if he was serious about an eternity with the only true God, the false god had to go. But that was only half of the message: as well as the false god going out, he had to come to the true God and follow Him. So Jesus said, "Come, follow me".
It is the same today: millions of people trying to be good enough for God try to do many good works. But they do not understand that however many good things they do, just one bad thing will undermine their moral perfection. Only one person was morally perfect, Jesus Christ. To repent of all false idols is the start and then to accept that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and trust Him by following Him all through this life and into the next. See www.crosscheck.org.uk to know more.
Prayer: Holy God. Thank You that Jesus is Your Son, God in a human body. As Your standard is nothing less than perfection, thank You that Christ's death is the perfect sacrifice which atones for all my sin. Please help me to see the urgent need to repent of all false gods and to follow Jesus only so that I may be certain of His favour in this life and confident of His welcome in the life to come. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Subscribe | View Archive | Donate | W@W Facebook Group
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
One of the features of being human is a deep desire to be confident about our personal eternal destiny. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Secularism, the conscious decision to push such thoughts away, only flourishes in a minority of the world's population: the rest are religious in one way or another - seeking an answer to the questions, "What happens for me after this life?", and, "How can I ensure I am good enough to meet God?"
Even the religious leader, who came to Jesus, was not confident of the answer despite having lived a highly disciplined life. Although he claimed to have kept all the commandments, he did not understand that God's standard is perfection. The ruler had not only deceived himself about his social righteousness, he also had a secret false god, an idol - money! Jesus said that if he was serious about an eternity with the only true God, the false god had to go. But that was only half of the message: as well as the false god going out, he had to come to the true God and follow Him. So Jesus said, "Come, follow me".
It is the same today: millions of people trying to be good enough for God try to do many good works. But they do not understand that however many good things they do, just one bad thing will undermine their moral perfection. Only one person was morally perfect, Jesus Christ. To repent of all false idols is the start and then to accept that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and trust Him by following Him all through this life and into the next. See www.crosscheck.org.uk to know more.
Prayer: Holy God. Thank You that Jesus is Your Son, God in a human body. As Your standard is nothing less than perfection, thank You that Christ's death is the perfect sacrifice which atones for all my sin. Please help me to see the urgent need to repent of all false gods and to follow Jesus only so that I may be certain of His favour in this life and confident of His welcome in the life to come. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Your next Word@Work will be sent on
W@WLuke275 | Word@Work © Dr Paul Adams 2011 | Provided by BeaconLight | Contact us at wordatwork@beaconlight.co.uk
Subscribe | View Archive | Donate | W@W Facebook Group