Enter Life
Matthew 16:19-22 “And behold, a man came up to him, saying, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.’ He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ And 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 mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘All these I have kept. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
You cannot serve two masters in life. You cannot serve the evil one with a lust for money, pleasure, and power while also worshipping in the house of the Lord. If it is wrong in your mind’s eye to serve the Lord God, then turn away and chase after the pursuits of the world such as money. However, I can tell you that this route leads to destruction and sadness. We see that such a man followed the Lord’s commandments, but could not choose to love the Lord over his love of money and he left the presence of Christ sad. It is heartbreaking that this man received the answer to his question from the Lord Jesus about how to have eternal life, but he rejected the answer and as far as we know, chose temporal possessions over eternal life.
If you are choosing to love anything more than the Lord Jesus, then you are choosing another god. Consider now if you have built up any such idols in your life. Are they hindering your worship of the one true God? Are they stopping you from giving your heart and life to the Lord? Do not live for things of the world because they will rust and fade away. You cannot take them with you beyond the grave. But you can take your faith in Christ Jesus beyond the grave and there you will find Him waiting with mercy and grace. He is victorious over all evil and can wash away your sins. He can forgive you like no one else can even though He himself committed no wrong. Take His hand and let Him lead you through life and into the newness of eternal life with Him.