And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
--Mark 10:17
So many people today don't care about spiritual things. They go to church sometimes and you can almost see the little sign around their necks that says, "Do not disturb. I’m not really interested in spiritual things.”
That’s why I’m so intrigued by the actions of the rich young ruler. This young man was eager to meet Jesus. Today’s verse of Scripture says he “ran up” to Jesus “and knelt before him.” You and I can’t help but see his humility. In fact, we can learn from it.
This man approached Jesus without a hint of arrogance. He was a ruler, probably a lawyer in the synagogue. And yet, in spite of his position in society, he was on his face in the presence of Jesus Christ.
Do you know why some people today will never find Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? It’s because of their incredible pride.
You see, if you're going to follow Jesus Christ, you must be willing to humble yourself before him. The Christian life is deeply personal, but it’s never private.
When Jesus calls you to follow him, he calls you to do so openly. If Jesus died publicly for you, shouldn’t you live publicly for him?
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS DEEPLY PERSONAL, BUT IT’S NEVER PRIVATE.
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.”
Titus 3:1–3
Before his conversion, John Newton was a profane and violent slave trader. After a confrontation with fellow crew members in 1745, Newton was abandoned in Africa and spent three years as a slave himself—a period which he called being “a servant of slaves.” It was after his rescue in 1748 that Newton was converted. He became a powerful preacher and an advocate for the end of the slave trade. Newton never forgot his own time in chains.
The Bible describes sin as enslavement. When we read about the horror of slavery, which is not just a relic of the past, but still practiced in many places today, we find it hard to picture a worse way to live. A slave does not have the ability to control his or her own life. The master sets the terms. Of course sin does not present that part of the picture during the temptation. It is only afterward that we realize the fetters that follow violating God’s law.
The power of sin cannot be broken apart from a stronger power. On the cross, Jesus purchased not just our salvation but our freedom from sin. Yet too often we volunteer to go back to the chains that should have no power over our lives. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). Once we had no choice, but as believers when we sin, it is because we want to, not because we have to.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Having been made free by Christ, we must not return again to the slavery of serving sin.
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