A Blossom Bible Podcast
A Blossom Bible Podcast
Mark 10:17-31 Real LIfe and the Miracle of it
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Can true fulfillment be found beyond wealth and success, or is there a deeper longing that only a divine relationship can satisfy? Join us as we explore the rich young ruler's quest for eternal life, a story that mirrors the human experience of yearning for more, despite having everything the world offers. Through the lens of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem, we unpack His profound teachings on spiritual fulfillment, challenging the notion that adhering to the Ten Commandments is enough without a heart transformed by love for God and neighbor.
Witness the powerful stories of transformation that illustrate the incredible power of faith and surrender. From the healing of the man with a withered hand to the spiritual rebirth of Nicodemus and Zacchaeus' decision to forgo his wealth, these narratives reveal how letting go of worldly desires can lead to an intimate relationship with God. Jesus' teachings push us to look beyond the surface, emphasizing that true goodness stems from a deeper change within, a change that can only be achieved through divine intervention and genuine love.
Finally, we reflect on Apostle Paul's journey as an emblematic tale of spiritual surrender, echoing the rich young ruler's story and driving home the significance of valuing one's relationship with God above all else. Paul’s realization that knowing Jesus is greater than any worldly accomplishment serves as an encouragement for us to open our hearts to God's guidance. Through these discussions, we're invited to prioritize spiritual growth, trusting the divine path over the fleeting allure of material success. Let this episode inspire you to embark on your own transformative journey towards a fulfilled life.
Mark 10, 17 will be where we start. All right, well, you know where we've been in the gospel. We have been heading from the northern part of Israel down toward that midpoint. It's Jerusalem. Really, it's the cross. Now, that's where Jesus' life has been taking him this entire time. But I think we have this trajectory that he's on from the highest point, there on the mountain where he's transfigured and seen in his glory, to um the lowest point, in a sense, the cross, right and, and that's where he's going. But as he's going, he's teaching his disciples, and that's sweet for us to experience today, just Jesus teaching his disciples and teaching us.
Speaker 1:Now, today we look at a rather famous account from the Gospels Matthew, mark and Luke all cover it. It's the rich young ruler, this man known as the rich young ruler, and really, in the end, this is about real life and the miracle of it. That's kind of what we see here with the rich young ruler is this real life and the miracle of it. So in the three gospels, the synoptic gospels, matthew, mark and luke they all cover this In Mark 10 and Matthew 19, we're told that he has great possessions In Luke 18 and 23,. We see that he's very rich. So that's kind of where we get this idea. He's rich, he has great possessions, he is a rich, young. Matthew 19, 20 says that he is young. Now, that's all relative, isn't it? You know, sometimes my kids will say something like oh yeah, you know, did you know that this celebrity is 50 years old? And I go young, right, and he's young, younger right, and he's young, younger right, and in Luke 18, 18, we see that he is a ruler, has some kind of influence in his world. So he's a rich, young ruler, right? That's how we kind of sum this guy's life up the rich, young ruler.
Speaker 1:Now we see that, along with these things being rich, young and a ruler, he's also desperate, as we read in verse 17. Now, as he that's Jesus was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before him and asked him Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? So here we see this guy he's rich, he's young, he's a ruler, but he's desperate for something. You've got to be desperate if you're going to be running, right, I mean, in my world, you do right. There's no other reason to be running unless you're desperate, you know, being chased by a lion or something I could see running or trying to run for that, but much else I don't know in my life. This guy comes running to Jesus down the road you see the dust cloud behind him, you know. And he falls down in front of Jesus and asks him good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? He's desperate for life, eternal life. Now we look at his life. He's rich. That sounds good, right, nothing wrong with that. That sounds like a great idea. Rich, he's young, he's got his life ahead of him, it seems. We go wonderful, he's a ruler, he's got some kind of influence and power. We go man, the guy's got everything. But we see that he still felt a lack in his life.
Speaker 1:Solomon is such a trip when it comes to this, isn't he, solomon? He writes the book of Ecclesiastes Now, he's got everything, and then some. He's got so much stuff, so much money and gold, that you can't stop even counting it after a while. You know he's got power in the world, all these different things. And he writes in Ecclesiastes 1, verse 2, solomon writes vanity of vanity, says the preacher. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. In verse 14 of chapter one, solomon says all is vanity, like grasping after the wind. So we may not understand what the word vanity means, but he gives us a picture here. What is vanity? It's grasping after the wind. It's going outside with a you know, a fishing net and saying I'm going to catch some air, not in a skateboarding sense, I'm going to catch some air and out there with a net, with my hands, my bare hands, trying to grab after the wind.
Speaker 1:And Solomon compares the way he felt in life to that. This is what it feels like having everything. It's empty vanity. It's like trying to get a handful of air. That's pointless, you can't do it. And so we look at this and we see people like this rich young ruler and solomon and we go how in the world does that work? Uh, in fact, I think, uh, my wife and I were having this discussion. Um, you know celebrities that find no hope in life, and you go, man, they got everything, bless you. They got everything they could imagine, and yet they still feel empty. Right, and that was Solomon, and that was this guy. Everything, and he still comes running Now. Everything, and he still comes running Now, this isn't really about satisfaction.
Speaker 1:I don't think right, because we could sell this point and say he wasn't satisfied. And what you need is God. For satisfaction in life, you need God Now. That's true. But it's not just this feeling of satisfaction that we're looking for. I mean, that would really be to kind of use God, in a sense, if I was giving a lesson on here's how to find satisfaction in life. Come to God Now. I think it's probably true, but that's kind of a lousy motive, isn't it? Like we're going to just get satisfaction, that wonderful happy feeling in life, and the Christian life is full of joy and happiness and goodness, real goodness. But that doesn't mean we always have that happy feeling. You know what I mean. That doesn't mean we always go. I could want nothing more in life. I'm satisfied, you will be satisfied.
Speaker 1:But it's not just about the feeling, it's about eternal life, and that's really what this man asked. Check it out in verse 17 again. He comes running, he kneels down Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life, real life, that's what this man knows he needs is some real eternal life, not just a quantity of life, lots of years, eternal life, but a quality of life. How is it that I have everything and I'm still wanting? I need eternal life. Now, first off here, this is his need eternal life. And Jesus is going to show him how to get there and how not to get there. But notice Jesus' response Eternal life can't be found in being good.
Speaker 1:Look at verse 18. So Jesus said to him why do you call me good? No one is good, but one that is God. Now you know the commandments Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother. The man answered and said to him teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth. Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him Now, let's stop there. The first thing Jesus points him to I think for good reason is you can't find eternal life by being good. And he starts it here by showing what real goodness is all about. Now he's playing off what the man says in verse 17, good teacher. It's not a bad thing to say to Jesus right, you're a good teacher, you're a pure teacher, you're an upright and just moral teacher, you're all those things. But Jesus asked him a question why do you call me good? There's no one good, but God. Now, real goodness now follow. Real goodness is not found in just being good. We have a way of gauging goodness.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about dogs, shall we? Because I like dogs, right? How often do we say, oh, good dog, good dog, good boy, right, I say good boy all the time to my dogs. But you know, if I were to be honest, hunter, our oldest dog, he's a good dog, right, I look at him, I'm a good boy, right, you know. And you just look at him and he spends 90 percent of his day laying by the back door and he looks up at you half the time and just looks up. Good boy, hunter. He stays out of trouble. Now he does get in front of me and so for that I got to dock him some points, because he's almost killed me by tripping me a couple of times. But he's a good boy. You look in his eyes and you go Hunter, good boy, you don't do much bad around this place, you're a good boy.
Speaker 1:Then there's Smokey. Right, I'm going to go through all the dogs, no, I'll leave a couple out. But then there's Smokey. Now I often tell Smokey good boy, right, because he comes up and he looks at me with those eyes. Right, because he comes up and he looks at me with those eyes. We're good friends. Good boy, smokey, right Now Smokey, though, he does have a tendency to go next door when weddings are on, and I get a call from the neighbor who says your dog is over here greeting everybody.
Speaker 1:He just jumped in the pond and now he's running around greeting people. And I go he's not my dog, I don't know what you're talking about. And I have to say Smokey bad, you're a good boy, but not right now. Sometimes he gets in trouble. Then there's Luna. Oh, luna, the puppy.
Speaker 1:I very rarely tell Luna good girl, because she's not, she's not a good girl at all, right, she jumps on me, she tries to knock me down. We're horrible parents of dogs. I don't teach her anything. She grabs me by the wrist and just starts gnawing on my wrist. She goes to the door, the window, and just looks in and then starts scratching the window. I go Luna, bad girl, you're not good at all, right. And I tell her that often, and you know, you look at this, it's like a gradient. You know, hunter, good boy, Smokey good boy, but you know. And then Luna, just not good at all, good for nothing. You know, one day I keep saying, though listen, no, that's okay, she's all right with it. One day, I keep saying one day she's going to save my life. Leela's like why do we even keep her here? And I go, one day she's going to save my life. I just know it. That's how this movie ends and you know that there's this gradient Some good, some bad, depending on how well they act.
Speaker 1:Now we look at this list and we go a person is good by how much good they do and how much bad they don't do. But Jesus tells us otherwise here and it's important that we see it. As we're looking at this thing of eternal life, jesus brings him to the law, right, and the Ten Commandments. Let's just go to the Ten Commandments. You don't have to turn there, but they're found in Exodus, chapter 20, the Ten Commandments. And don't have to turn there, but they're found in Exodus, chapter 20, the Ten Commandments, and you know them.
Speaker 1:Everybody in the world knows the Ten Commandments, I think, and it's a list of thou shalt and thou shalt nots, and it's not meant to be a way to be perfect. If you look at that list and you go well, I don't do those things, I'm good, it's really. Its purpose is to show us that we don't do good right? So Jesus mentions some of the Ten Commandments here and it's a partial list of the Ten Commandments. Now, if you can just picture ten somethings, we'll say they're the Ten Commandments, but just picture ten somethings.
Speaker 1:Jesus mentions part of those, but the first four commandments, and possibly the tenth commandment, have to do with our relationship with God. The second four and possibly the tenth commandment, well, the second half has to do with our relationship to people, right? And Jesus sums it up when he's asked by a guy at one point you remember the, the I think it's a scribe or a Levite comes to him and and says what's the greatest commandment? And Jesus says in Mark actually, you can turn there, mark 12, 29. It's only a couple pages later. Let's turn there, mark 12, 29. Verse 28, actually.
Speaker 1:Then one of the scribes came and, having heard them reasoning together, perceived he had answered them well, asked him which is the first commandment? What's the greatest commandment? Verse 29,. Jesus answered him. The first of all commandments is Hear O Israel. The Lord, your God, is one. Now check it out, verse 30. And you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. The second is like it, and it's this you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. So Jesus sums up those 10 commandments and says this is the greatest. Greatest commandment is love God. Love God with everything. And that is the first set of the commands in the 10 commandments. Then he says and second, if you need a second, it's love your neighbor as yourself, love others. So put those all together, all together, we've got love God with everything and love others.
Speaker 1:Now Jesus back in chapter 10, verse 19,. He mentions a group of them here. He says don't commit adultery, that's the seventh commandment. Don't murder, that's the sixth commandment. Don't bear false witness, that's the ninth commandment. And don't defraud or don't steal right, and that's the eighth commandment. Then he puts at the very end, the fifth commandment honor your father and mother.
Speaker 1:Now, these are solidly those love your neighbor commandments. This is how we treat other people right. If you love your neighbor, you're not gonna kill him, right? That's an easy one, you know, kind of works that way. And so Jesus puts these group of commandments out there and look at verse 20. I think he's feeling confident.
Speaker 1:Verse 20, the man answered and said to him teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth, I've done it. I've done all these things. Now he hadn't accomplished all those things. Especially when you look at the heart of the law. Right In the Sermon on the Mount, jesus he says look, if you've looked at someone to lust after them, you've broken that command of adultery. Right, the heart of the law is deeper than that. If you've been angry at someone without a cause, you've essentially committed murder. Now, you haven't committed murder.
Speaker 1:But Jesus wants to say here it's deeper than that, it's our heart. We break commandments because our heart's messed up. We generally don't kill people, but we do hate them, right. And Jesus says this all shows you're a sinner and all have sinned. Right, paul would tell us in Romans 3, 23,. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. So this whole thing is to show here's how you're righteous, but really to prove once again you're not gonna be able to do it. We all mess up. None of us is good as far as finding eternal life. Goodness won't do it. Now come back here.
Speaker 1:One thing to notice is what Jesus doesn't tell this man. He doesn't talk about the God word commands. He doesn't talk about not having another God before him or idols, or Sabbaths honoring God with your time. He doesn't talk about that. He doesn't talk about covetousness, which again is like the blows them all away. Right, the 10th commandment don't covet what you don't have. Right, we all go, oh, man, you know. And there Jesus doesn't mention those things. Because I think those are the things this guy really struggled with Loving God with all of your heart. We'll see he had a problem. But notice, jesus is going to. If you kind of read ahead here, jesus is going to drop the bomb on him. Right, you don't have it all together in verse 21. But before we see this bomb come down from Jesus, I want to notice one more thing in verse 21. Everybody, let's look at it, verse 21,.
Speaker 1:Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and I believe that's one of the most important things that we can see in this whole thing. Jesus looks at him, man. When Jesus looks at you, he sees everything, right. He sees hypocrisy in our hearts, he sees what we did in secret and he sees all the things that are just going on in our hearts that are ugly, right. So Jesus looks at him, but notice, he loves him.
Speaker 1:Now, peter, I think, was the source for the book of Mark. Maybe others put some information in there too. But somehow when they saw Jesus at this point the man comes up and he's excited. I've done all these things since I was a kid. What else do I lack? I got it. Jesus looked at him and loved him. Man, I wish I could see what that looked like. You know, maybe it was just a smile on Jesus' face. You know that kind of look of compassion when you're busted and somebody just goes. I get it, you know. And just Jesus looked at him and loved him.
Speaker 1:When God tells us hard things we have to understand he still loves us. He demonstrates his love towards us that while we were still nasty, stinky sinners, christ loved us. He died for us. He demonstrates it. Romans 5.8 is the verse on that. But whatever it was, it was obvious Jesus really loved this guy. He wasn't just trying to show him up, he wasn't just trying to make him look dumb. He was trying to get to the bottom of this thing of eternal life for this man. Now, notice, that's important, most important thing to see. Jesus loved him. But he said to him one thing you lack, go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. And come, take up the cross and follow me. But he was sad at this word and went away, sorrowful, for he had great possessions. So Jesus here says it's one little thing, man, one little thing. Go and sell everything you have and give it to the poor and then come follow me.
Speaker 1:And we see this story, one of the saddest accounts in the Bible. Right, this rich young ruler looks at him sell everything I have and give it to the poor. Poverty. You want poverty from me. And he weighs it all in his mind and he walks away, sorrowful because he had a lot of stuff. Man, he can't expect me to get rid of all my stuff. Right, that's a lot to ask. And he goes away sorrowful because he had a lot of stuff. His excitement shrivels up and we just go. Huh, I mean we leave this guy and he just walks away. That's all he seems to do. Is walks away and says, well, I guess it's not for me Wasn't worth it to him. Now we don't really have a great ending to this story. Now I will say and it's not worth much of anything this is what I'm about to say is not worth much of anything.
Speaker 1:But there is some speculation that this is Joseph of Arimathea, a rich guy, a powerful guy, who comes in secret and takes care of Jesus' body after the cross, along with a guy named Nicodemus. He's a rich guy and some people in tradition would say maybe this guy got it right. Now, I like that, right, because I like a happy ending to a story, right, I like that. But the thing I do know about God is that he doesn't just give up on us. He never does right we go. Well, not for me, I guess. And you know that God just continued to work on that guy's heart. He did not stop. God never stops. Now, again, tradition there's nothing. It's just speculation. So it's not worth much, but maybe. But here it is real life and we see that real life takes a miracle. That's what we see coming up here in verse 23.
Speaker 1:Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples how hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God, and his disciples were astonished no kidding at his words. Jesus answered again and said to them, children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God. Look at verse 25. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. They were greatly astonished, saying among themselves who then can be saved? Verse 27, jesus looked at them and said With men it is impossible, but not with God, for with God all things are possible. So Jesus follows up this teaching with his disciples and the man goes away, sorrowful, and he says you know, it's really difficult. It's hard for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God. The trade-off right To let go of riches and make sure that riches let go of you and to walk away from it. It's difficult. Notice verse 24,. His disciples kind of add to this and they go whoa, if rich people can't be saved? Now, being rich was always seen as a blessing. It was God smiling down on you, right, you must have been good, god's blessing you. That's not necessarily the case, right? But here his disciples go. Well, who can be saved? And Jesus basically says it is impossible. With man this is difficult, impossible. Look at the example he gives in verse 25.
Speaker 1:It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Right Now, of course, there's some debate. Is this eye of a needle maybe a small gate in the city wall of Jerusalem, the eye of the needle? And camels had to get down low to go through that gate. So a rich person can go through, but man, it's difficult. No, not a chance.
Speaker 1:Jesus is saying the eye of a needle. Have you ever tried to do that? To thread a needle? It is impossible for someone with my eyes to thread a needle. I have no idea where it's going, right, younger eyes. But imagine then that eye of a needle and a camel going through it. What does it take to get a camel through the eye of a needle? You've got to grind it up. That's the only way I can figure that you're going to get it through there. There's lots of grinding of that camel. You've got to break it down. It's not possible, though. A live camel cannot go through the eye of a needle, and that, of course, is what Jesus is getting at here. It's impossible.
Speaker 1:And verse 26, the disciples are astonished, right, well, okay then what's the point? And Jesus said notice verse 27,. With men, it is impossible. But with God. But not with God, I keep getting that wrong. But not with God, for with God all things are possible. So who can be saved? Check it out. Who can be saved? Only through an act of God can a person be saved a rich person into the kingdom of heaven or any person. It's impossible, but with God all things are possible. Miracle, it can take a miracle. Now check it out. We look at that and go well, that's not right. So a person can only be saved through a miraculous act of God? Yes, but God does want people to be saved. We'll go back to it in a minute.
Speaker 1:But Mark 3,. We saw a miracle happen in the Gospel of Mark A man with a withered hand, right, a withered hand, whatever it was, it had no power and check it out. Jesus came to this man with the withered hand and he said stretch out your hand. Now, that's impossible. That's his whole problem. He can't stretch out his hand, he has no power in his hand. And yet Jesus says stretch out your hand and check it out. He stretches out his hand and it works. Jesus told him to do it and then God empowered him to do it. And we go that's a miracle, right? If you haven't figured that out yet in the book, that's what God does. God can do miracles. Nothing is impossible with God. But we see other people in the Gospels who have similar things going.
Speaker 1:On John, chapter three, just a couple examples. There's Nicodemus. He's a ruler of the Pharisees, he's got power and prestige. And he comes to Jesus and he doesn't actually ask him what do I gotta do to get eternal life? But Jesus answers that question. Nicodemus just comes and goes good, teacher, we know you come from God, because nobody can do the things you do unless God had sent him. And Jesus answered him and said truly, I tell you, you must be born again. You got to be born again, nicodemus. And he answers that question of eternal life to Nicodemus. And Nicodemus goes how can I be born again? That's impossible. Now you know Christianese, right, being born again is something that happens in our heart. You're saved, you're born again. And Jesus tells Nicodemus Nick, you've got to be born again. And you know what? Nicodemus was born again. We're not told all the specifics, but he came to the cross in one sense when Jesus said as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the sin of man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life. And Nicodemus had to come to that same cross and go. I'm dead. I'm dead, but I see what you're doing for me on that cross. I believe in you. And Nicodemus, somewhere down the road, was born again An impossible thing, but Jesus enabled him to be born again. Now check it out.
Speaker 1:Luke, chapter 19, verses 1 through 10. Take a deep breath. I know it feels like it's been a long time, but we'll get through it here. Luke 19, verses 1 through 10, we see a guy named Zacchaeus right, our good friend Zacchaeus. And Zacchaeus is a rich guy, he's got lots of money and Jesus has a great conversation with him. As Zacchaeus different guy is up in a tree. Jesus calls him down from the tree and says Zac, I'm coming to your house for dinner. I love that Jesus invites himself over for dinner.
Speaker 1:In Luke 19, verse 8, jesus comes over for dinner. Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord look, lord, I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore it fourfold. And Jesus said to him today, salvation has come to this house. So here Zacchaeus has some of the same issues Money, power. He was a tax collector and Zacchaeus says here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to give half of everything I have and give it to the poor. Now, jesus never told him to give half, but I think God told him. The Spirit told him in his heart you got to get right with this thing, zacchaeus, and he listened to it.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's so hard for a rich person, for a lost person, to come to eternal life, but it's not impossible with God. God can work a miracle in our hearts. So what happened with this guy? I think he was confronted Sell everything you have and give it to the poor. I can't do that, but Jesus told you to do it. And there's some hard things that we do in life.
Speaker 1:And Jesus says look, give it up your dream of riches, give it up your dream for power. Give it up your idea of what a relationship should look like. Give it up your dream for power, give it up your idea of what you know a relationship should look like. Give it up. And Jesus says give it up. And we go. I can't do that. That's too painful. I just can't do it. I can't give it up. But he told us to do it. He'll give us the ability to do it.
Speaker 1:What was necessary for this guy? Go and sell all you have and give it to the poor Can't do it. He can't Go do it and there would have been no regrets. Now, who knows what God would have done. But the man just didn't step forward. He didn't reach out his hand like the guy with the withered hand. Right, the guy with the withered hand could have said I can't reach out his hand like the guy with the withered hand. Right, the guy with the withered hand could have said I can't reach my hand out, don't you understand? It's withered. And yet he did it and God gave him the ability to do it.
Speaker 1:Obviously, maybe money isn't our thing, right, there's so many more powerful things that keep, keep us. But. But God will always say and I don't know, does it happen all at once in our lives, all at once that salvation is that part of sanctification we're. Just, little by little, he chips off things in our life and says look, give it to me, trust me with it. I know you're obsessed with it, I know you don't want to give it up, but open your hands and give it up. But for each one of us it could be something different. But let's finish our time here.
Speaker 1:In Philippians, chapter three, it's Paul. Philippians, chapter three. You can turn there. Philippians, chapter 3 Paul's a different story altogether.
Speaker 1:He was a Pharisee. He enjoyed his position of power. There's a lot of things that Paul gave up the respect of people, whatever it is. In chapter 3, verse 7, paul's talking a little bit about his life before Christ and he says this and it's so beautiful, verse 7, but whatever things were gained to me, these, I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. I count them as rubbish, trash, dung, right that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God, by faith that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death. So Paul had the same kind of experience with God. So Paul had the same kind of experience with God.
Speaker 1:Paul, your reputation and you know your ability to keep the law. Everybody looks at you. Oh, he's so pure, he's so holy. And God said to Paul I think Paul, give it up, open your hand. And he did by a miracle. Paul opened. It opened.
Speaker 1:Now, he was stubborn, right. He got kicked off a horse a couple times, you know at least once, and you know God knocked him to the ground. He was stubborn, right. God has his ways. But check it out.
Speaker 1:Paul opened his hands and see what he says. He says you know what? I've given it all to God and I count all of it. All those things I thought were so important. I count them as loss for knowing Jesus. I count it as rubbish, I count it as a big pile of poop. Honestly, is what the Greek says. He says when I look at just what it's like to know Jesus, everything else is trash. And so obviously we can look at this rich young ruler and say poor guy, didn't get it.
Speaker 1:But each one of us has a life, just life in general.
Speaker 1:God says here's salvation, but first you've got to give up your own love, first you've got to open your hand, and the thing we learn is it will always be worth it.
Speaker 1:If God asks us to do it, he'll give us the ability to do it. To do it. He'll give us the ability to do it. God, I know that your word applies to each one of us here today. And to come to you, we give up our own righteousness for sure, but you do have a way of showing us in our lives these things that we just we love so much, we want so much, and how you look at us and you love each one of us. You proved it. You say would you just open your hands, god, help us those things that we value so much, that we would just be able to open our grip and trust you with them. Not whatever you do with those things. Nothing is worth more than knowing you. That's true, god. I pray that you would take these things and work them into our lives, even today. In Jesus' name, we pray, thank you.