Read Mark 10:17-22
I’m A “GOOD” Person.
As Jesus is walking on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before Jesus. He asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Do you see the excitement in this man’s heart? He is excited about eternal life. He ran and fell on his knees before Jesus! That’s impressive! What a “good” man he must be.
Jesus responds by saying, “No one is good except God Alone!”
Jesus’s response seems a little odd. Why did he confront this man in his choice of words when he said, “Good teacher!”? It appears Jesus could see in the man’s heart and that he was all about being “GOOD enough!” If you were to ask someone if they were to die today, would they go to heaven? A lot of people would say, “Yes, because I’m a GOOD person.”
When it comes to Salvation and eternal life, there is no such thing as being “Good enough.” We are all sinners in need of forgiveness which only comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
So Jesus responds to the man saying that there are the commandments of God that we were called to live by. The man responds by basically saying, “I’m a good person because I’ve followed the commandments all my life.” I truly believe the man was sincere and he probably was a reputable person in the community. People probably even said that he was a good person. But he was missing something. He was missing a surrendered heart to Jesus. He was holding on to something in life that became more important than his relationship with God. And that was his money. Jesus recognized the man’s heart was sincere and he loved the man but he had to confront what was standing between the man and God. So he told the man, “Go sell everything you own, give it to the poor, and then come follow me!” The man was unable to give Jesus everything and follow him. He did not want to give up his wealth and instead walked away. What started out to be an excitement to follow Jesus ended with the man sadly walking away from the very thing he said he wanted. Sadly, he didn’t want it more than the earthly pleasures.
Is there something we are holding on to in life that is hindering our relationship with Jesus? It could be money, or a relationship that is not healthy for us, it could be sports or an addiction. It could be a hobby that we love so much that it takes away our time completely with the Lord.
You may even have a reputation of being a “Good Person” because of how nice you are, but as Jesus said nobody’s good. We are all sinners who need a relationship with Jesus for the Forgiveness of our sins.
Is there something you’re holding on to that is hindering your relationship with Jesus. Surrender it today and then follow Jesus 100% – with your whole heart and not just your mind!
