Christian Commentary Encouraging Devotions

"When Satan makes his daily visit to accuse us of all our guilt,

we can quickly agree with him and then turn to Christ."

Looking forward to the day when I'll be a radical Christian.

Not happy with where I'm at.

Want to be a louder mouthpiece.

Although, of course, I realize...

actions speak louder than words.

Is that in the Bible? Chapter and verse?

Friday night at the youth centre we were discussing...

...a man came up to Jesus and asked,

"Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

(Wrong starting point... "what good thing must I do."

As if there's anything we can do.)

"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied.

"There is only One who is good.

If you want to enter life,

obey the commandments."

"Which ones?" the man inquired.

(Why would he ask this? Which ones?

Like he thinks some are excludable?)

Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery,

do not steal, do not give false testimony,

honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"

(Wonder why Jesus limited Himself to these six?)

"All these I have kept," the young man said.

"What do I still lack?"

"What else must I do?"

(He still doesn't get it. "What else must I do?")

Jesus answered,

"If you want to be perfect,

go, sell your possessions and give to the poor,

and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, follow me."

When the young man heard this,

he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

(Suppose he had said, "Sure, I can do that."

Would he have come back later and asked,

"What else must I do?"

And what would Jesus have said then?

Would He have given him another challenge?)

Then Jesus said to his disciples,

"I tell you the truth,

it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Again I tell you,

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."

When the disciples heard this,

they were greatly astonished and asked,

"Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said,

"With man this is impossible,

but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:16-26

Now it's true Jesus hit the rich man in his area of greatest weakness, his wealth.

But the deeper truth here is that

no matter what we do,

it'll never be enough to inherit eternal life.

It's grace, all grace.

Impossible for us to do, but totally possible with God.

"If anyone adds anything to the Cross of Christ,

even righteous deeds,

he becomes an "enemy of the Cross"." Philippians 3

P.S.

Martin Luther King said to those seeking justice:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Whatever doesn't kill us makes us more dependent on God's strength,

not our own perceived strength."