Still Following Jesus

We commented in our last blog that this young ruler was earnest in his desire for eternal life.

Unfortunately, he saw eternal life as an insurance policy for the hereafter. He had everything under control in this life and  he didn't want to change that; he merely wanted to secure the eternal aspect of his life. He was actually seeking God not to have a relationship but to just cover all his bases. How common is this attitude in the world?

Jesus says to this man "if you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

Jesus spoke of life, the Greek word is zoe, it means the type of life God lives. This type of life does not begin when we die but actually commences when we become a Christian; it commences in this life and carries over into eternity.

This life comes or is entered into by obeying God's commands. The man then asked Jesus a legitimate question "which commands do I need to keep?". Jesus lists the last 6 of the ten commandments; ones concerning human relationships summed up by 'loving your neighbour as yourself'. The man thought he had kept these commands but the reality was that he hadn't. Jesus solution was for him to give all his wealth to the poor; a positive action that would demonstrate a love for his neighbour. The man went away very sad because he could not bring himself to really follow God's commands.

Jesus says to us also in John 14:15 "if you love me, you will obey what I command". How do we show we really love God? We should do what he says regardless of how it may personally affect us. The commands of Jesus cover all aspects of the Kingdom; from entering in "you must be born again" and "repent and believe the good news" to our ongoing life in the Kingdom. If you read through the gospels you will see many explicit and implied commands of the Lord. Let us not be like the rich young ruler and pass up the life Jesus offers, but rather let us do whatever it takes.