Relying on Something Other Than God
Luke 18 tells the story of a wealthy ruler who approached Jesus to learn how to secure his future in eternity. Jesus used the moment to reveal the man’s wrong thinking and a spiritual stumbling block. First, the affluent man erroneously believed that good deeds were a means of entering heaven. Nothing could be further from the truth. Eternal life can’t be bought — it’s a free gift that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not something that can be attained apart from God. Eternal life becomes ours at the moment of salvation, when the life of God comes to us in the person of His indwelling Holy Spirit. Second, the man’s identity was tied up in material things. Jesus addressed this spiritual obstacle by issuing a loving challenge: “Sell all you possess and give to the poor…..and come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21) Jesus offered the man treasure in heaven, but the man turned away. We must be careful not to fall into the same trap of believing in Jesus for salvation but trusting exclusively in ourselves for daily living. It can be tempting to depend on our own intelligence, talents, material possessions, or family, instead of looking to God for direction and solutions.
