Friday, February 27, 2009

Jesus Answers a Rich Man

I thought I would pass along to my fellow bloggers something I was given today by one of my co-workers. It really touched me...and I hope it does the same for you!

JESUS ANSWERS A RICH MAN

As Jesus started to leave, a man ran to him and fell on his knees before Jesus. The man asked, "Good teacher, what must I do to have life forever?"

Jesus answered, "Why do you call me good? Only God is good. You know the commands: 'You must not murder anyone. You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not steal. You must not tell lies about your neighbor. You must not cheat. Honor your father and mother.' "

The man said, "Teacher, I have obeyed all of these things since I was a boy."

Jesus, looking at the man, loved him and said, "There is one more thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me."

Mark 10:17-21


All your life you've been rewarded according to your performance. You get grades according to your study. You get commendations according to your success. You get money in response to your work.

That's why the rich young ruler thought heaven was just a payment away. It only made sense. You work hand, you pay your dues, and "zap"--your account is credited as paid in full. Jesus said, "No way." What you want costs far more than what you can pay. You don't need a system, you need a Savior. You don't need a resume, you need a Redeemer.
Mark it down. God does not save us because of what we've done. Only a puny god could be bought with tithes. Only an egotistical god would be impressed with our pain. Only a temperamental god could be satisfied by sacrifices. Only a heartless god would sell salvation to the highest bidders.
And only a great God does for his children what they can't do for themselves.

The Applause of Heaven, Max Lucado

Whoa...blew me away...

I bolded MY favorite lines. What do you think??

5 comments:

Kayla said...

Love this! Thanks SO much for sharing :)

d.a.r. said...

Amazing!! Thank you for sharing this.

Sue said...

Wow- That is so good!! I always L*O*V*E hearing commentary on scripture. It's interesting to hear what other people have got out of a specific passage. I am doing something new at my house.....A redemption tree. I would love for you to come give me some ideas. Everyone is invited!
Blessings- LillySue

Girl Meets Beau said...

That is so beautiful and so true! Max Lucado is truly an amazing writer.

Darci White said...

I think that I had forgotten what an awesome book that is.

I read it in 8th grade I believe and fell in love with Max Lucado's writing.

Beautiful - just beautiful. He gets the message across in such a profound and moving way.