As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "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 murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'" "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." -Mark 10:17-31*
In this passage, a rich young man approaches Jesus to ask how to gain eternal life. Jesus tells him first to keep the second part of the Ten Commandments, which deals with man’s relationship to his neighbor. These the young man has kept. He has not done as well keeping the first two commandments that deal with God, as we see when Jesus asks him to leave all his possessions and follow Him.
The young man’s problem in this story was not his wealth; rather his problem was that he valued something (wealth) more than he valued God. From time to time we all allow things to get in the way of following God. For me, it’s usually grades, pride, and relationships. While these can all be good, they should never get in the way of my following Christ.
What is keeping you from completely following Christ? What areas of your life do you need to intentionally give up and hand over to Him? Our society considers many things important: necessities for survival, education, good relationships, and living morally. While these are all nice things, we must not neglect the most important thing as Christians: following Christ.
Brittany Ribble has grown up at First Church, and as a senior in high school she serves on the Youth Praise Team. Brittany attends CCA.
How does God make a difference in your life? "My mom was diagnosed with ALS five years ago and it has been hard to get through this time. Jesus has made a difference in my life by helping me through it and He has put hope in my heart and mind." -Carolyn Bass, 6th grade
*Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
