He considered himself a good person. He did good things, he made good decisions, all in all, he lived a good life. The Rich Young Ruler in Mark chapter 10 was convinced that eternal life was at his fingertips, after all he was good, like Jesus. And so, he approached Jesus with that very greeting, “Good Teacher”. But Jesus’ answer put a halt to his steps, “Why do you call me Good?, No one is Good except God alone.” The young man had everything money could buy and having obeyed all of the commandments, thought he might easily be able to acquire eternal life as well! But when Jesus told him that in order to obtain eternal life he had to sell all he had and give it to the poor and follow Him, the rich man grieved. He had spent his entire life playing the part of a good person. He would have followed Jesus without any problem, I am sure; but to give up what he cherished the most, his money and his possessions, it was just too much for him to bear.

Is something holding you back from having eternal life today? You might be going through life playing the part also. We look good going to church every Sunday with our family by our side; We have never murdered, committed adultery, or stolen anything; we do not lie or cheat; and we have always taken care to honor our parents. But if Jesus asked you to give that something up and follow Him, could you? I encourage you to use these last couple weeks of Lent to truly examine your heart and ask God to show you what you need to let go of in your life to play the right part and follow Him. Let us get our hearts ready to wholeheartedly celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord!

Dear God, Reveal to me the areas that are holding me back from following You today; and then give me the strength to leave them behind. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

1.    Mark 10:19-20 (ESV).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.