Good morning, friends.
Our verse for today comes from Mark 10:20, “And he answered and said to Him, ‘Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.'”
I have known only one person that I would consider having possibly done something without fail ever since she was a youth. Now probably in her fifties, she worked for me a while back for a few years, and she was quite simply the most regimented, routine-oriented person I have ever seen. Each day, she would leave for lunch at 11:13. Not 11:15 or 11:10, but exactly 11:13. And depending on the day of the week, she would go to a certain place to eat, read her book, and enjoy her sweet tea in solitude. Just for fun, one day a group of us decided to show up at the restaurant, to see if her head would explode when we walked in and sat down at her table. It did not, but just barely, I think. Her morning snack each day, at 10:00 mind you, was a Ziploc bag of baby carrots. Except they weren’t baby carrots, they were regular full-sized carrots that she had peeled and cut herself the night before instead of buying the baby ones. I don’t know why she did the things she did, but doing them certainly contributed to whatever contentment and peace of mind she had.
The rich young ruler, he did the things he did from his youth for his peace of mind as well, except he seemed to sense that something was missing. He knew the commandments and claimed to have kept them all since he was a boy. But even after he proclaimed his self-righteousness, he didn’t race off in celebration. He stood there before Jesus, almost as if he knew that there was something more that was required. Inside, he could have been cringing to hear the next prerequisite, or he could have been about to bust with joy to again declare his mastery. Whichever it was, his world came crashing down when Jesus turned the examination inward to his heart. Without ever mentioning the commands regarding loving God and worshipping Him only, Jesus exposed the need that we all share with the young ruler. We need to surrender everything to Jesus. If you haven’t done that since your youth, will you begin today?
As we seek Him today, come to Jesus with all you have for what you are lacking. Don’t let your internal checklist keep you from experiencing His full grace.
Have a fantastic weekend.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
