ONE THING YOU LACK
In three of the Gospels the story is recorded inwhich
a man came to Jesus and asked Him, “What
good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). To
this man, the question was all about doing good things to obtain
salvation. He was obviously very
proficient at doing good things already because, when Jesus told Him to keep
the commandments, and spelled them out for him, this man said that he had kept
them all since he was a child. For all his
good works, however, he still was in doubt about the condition of his soul.
Many folks today have placed their hopes for
Eternity in the quality and quantity of “good
things” that they have done in their lives.
Sadly, many who confess Christianity fall into the same trap. They have been churched all their lives, and
tried to keep the commandments, and perhaps been quite successful, but yet they
feel an emptiness in their soul. They
know in their hearts that there is something more that they are not experiencing
of God, and they yearn to secure what they are missing, but don’t know what it
is, or how to find it.
Jesus said to the man, “One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell
whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
The man may have been encouraged to
hear that it was only one thing that he lacked.
After all the other things that he had done, what was one more thing if
it would guarantee his salvation? What
Jesus revealed, though, was just too much!
To sell all he had and go off with this man was unrealistic. After all, he was very wealthy. This man was very grieved at hearing Jesus’
words, and he turned and went away.
Despite his desire to be saved, and all his efforts to lead a good life,
he could not give the one thing that Christ required.
In the end, it is all about
surrendering ourselves to the will of God.
We are often prepared to sacrifice many things to be “good,” but we sink
our heels in when it comes down to that one particular thing that the Lord may
require of us. You see, God knows the
things that really own us. He sees the
things that rule our lives, and He is jealous.
He is jealous because He knows that our heart will be divided if we try
to serve more than one Master. This
man’s wealth was his god. For all his
apparent desire to be right, and all his good words, he was willing to walk
away from the Lord when it came down to choosing between God and his riches.
Good works will never get us one step
closer to heaven. We may go to church
all our lives and lead pretty good lives - giving our time and our money to
help others – and yet never see that it is about giving ourselves (all we are,
and all we have) to the Lord. Salvation
is more about Whom we will serve, not what we will do. Scripture tells us that Jesus loved this
man. He recognized in him the yearning
of his heart, but the Lord must have been greatly saddened by the grasp that
his possessions had over him.
I believe that, as Christians, the Lord
sheds His light on things in our lives that we may place too much importance
in, and then asks us to make a choice.
It may be a habit, a pastime, a hobby, a lust, or a possession; but it
is always something that is hindering our spirituality, and our relationship
with Him. It is always that one thing
that we lack that God is interested in.
It’s not so much about the thing itself, as it is about the control it
has over us. We can respond to what the
Lord requires, and find that what He replaces it with is infinitely better; or
we can become grieved, and turn away from Him when He invades our secret
sanctuary. Make no mistake, God is
looking for disciples, and nothing less.
By His grace we can fulfill that calling and find the peace and joy that
comes with believing and knowing the Savior.
We are in boot camp, and must learn to respond to the voice of our
Master and Commander lest we be slain in the field of battle; for, indeed, we
are in warfare. Let’s not be lacking in
anything that would hinder our closeness to the tender Shepherd of our souls.
Dear Reader, what
are the things that are lacking in your life?
The things that you know the Lord is asking you to surrender? Like the man who tries to run a marathon
carrying many heavy weights with him, your sins will hinder you from finishing
the race that God has called you to run.
Isn’t it time to cast aside every weight of sin and believe the Savior,
Jesus Christ, for the freedom that He has purchased for you on Calvary’s
cross? Come to Him now, whether you are
someone who has avoided Him all your life, or whether you have known the Lord
and just not been willing to let Him have every area of your life. He will pardon you, and He will empower you,
to walk with Him through the highs and lows of your life.
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