Devo: Matthew 19:16-22

“Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” vv. 21-22

He told the man to sell all of his possessions and give to the poor; and to follow Him not only to satisfy the man’s questions but also to expose his heart. God knows our heart. He knows the idols we keep in our heart. The man could not renounce his possessions. He did not obey Jesus. It shows that his god was money.

“The call to forsake everything and follow Jesus is a call to put God first in all things.” enduringword.com

“The principle remains: God may challenge and require an individual to give something up for the sake of His kingdom that He still allows to someone else. There are many who perish because they will not forsake what God tells them to.” enduringword.com

“And what were these in comparison of peace of conscience, and mental rest? Besides, he had unequivocal proof that these contributed nothing to his comfort, for he is now miserable even while he possesses them! And so will every soul be, who puts worldly goods in the place of the supreme God.” (Clarke)

The rich young ruler came to Jesus. He CAME to Jesus because he needed help.

“Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?'” v. 16

There was something missing in his life despite his great wealth. He could buy anything and everything that he wanted but he was not happy. This question echoes many people’s plight. We all have that hole in our heart that longs for something eternal. It is because God created us for Him. It means that only God can fill that void. The rich young man asked what good things he should do to have eternal life. He thought that he could be saved by doing good works.

“So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.'” v. 17

Jesus told him to keep all the commandments.

“He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” vv. 18-19

The ones that Jesus mentioned refer to our relationship with other people.

“The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?'” v. 20

The commandments mentioned by Jesus are difficult to do and that no one has obeyed in its full sense perfectly.

When Jesus commanded him to sell his possessions and give to the poor, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t give to the poor. That means he did not really love his neighbor. He loved money more than people. Also, when Jesus told him to follow Him, he went away. He did not obey Jesus. He loved money more than Jesus.

The man said that he had kept all those things from his youth, but it was not true. He may have kept some of the commandments but not all of it. The commandments talks about our relationship with people and our relationship with God. If we want to be perfect, we have to fulfill all of the commandments. However, we cannot do all of those perfectly.

If we could be perfect by our good works and by honoring God in everything at all times, there was no need for Jesus to come down to earth and save us. I have talked to a lot of people, believers and unbelievers, who think that we can earn our salvation. I think it’s something that we have to really understand.

It’s not a point system in heaven. If we could earn points every time we do good, then securing our place in heaven would be a competition and we would be taking all the credit for our spot. Instead of giving all the glory to God, we seek the glory for ourselves.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9

In Luke 23:39-43, one of the criminals who were hanged on the cross mocked Jesus while the other criminal rebuked him and asked Jesus to remember him when He goes to heaven. Jesus’ response was, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

That criminal who recognized Jesus as God was hanged for his sins. He was a sinner. He was not righteous but because he repented, Jesus promised that he would be with him in heaven. We are saved by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS. Good works are a result of our salvation. Because of our gratefulness to God, we do good works. It is not for our merit. It is all for the glory of God.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10