Hello This is a Test

Monday Devo

Scripture:

Luke 18:18-23
18 Once a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Only God is truly good. 20 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother.’”
21 The man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was very rich.

Commentary:

18:18 ruler. See note on Matt. 19:16. Probably a ruler of a synagogue (Luke 8:41) or member of the Sanhedrin (23:13, 35; 24:20; John 3:1). Good Teacher, what must I do …? …? A good question. For inheriting (not meriting) eternal life, cf. 18:30; Acts 13:46, 48.
18:19 Why do you call me good? Jesus does not let the ruler’s superficial view of “goodness” go unchallenged. No one is good except God alone directs the ruler’s attention to God, in whom ultimate goodness resides. Only in understanding God as infinitely good can he discover that human good deeds cannot earn eternal life.
18:20 You know the commandments. Do not. Although only the second table of the law is mentioned (commandments 6–10; see Ex. 20:13–16), Luke expects his readers to assume that the first table (Ex. 20:1–12) is also included (cf. Luke 10:25–28).
18:21 All these I have kept from my youth. See note on Mark 10:20; cf. Paul’s righteous keeping of the law from his youth (Acts 26:4; Phil. 3:6).
18:22 One thing you still lack refers not to higher piety but to the kingdom of God (vv. 24–25), salvation (v. 26), and eternal life (v. 18). Sell all that you have. Cf. Luke 5:11, 28; 14:33; 18:28. Jesus shows that the ruler has not really kept the commandments, and he clarifies the meaning of true repentance. treasure in heaven. In 12:33 this refers to the rewards believers will receive in heaven, but here it means eternal life itself (cf. 18:24–25). Follow me involves denying oneself, taking up one’s cross, and following Jesus (cf. 9:23).
18:23 The ruler was very sad because he was extremely rich; he loved his riches more than God, showing that he had kept neither the first commandment nor the tenth, for riches were his god and he desired them more than God.

Questions:

  • In Luke 18:18-30, Jesus encounters a rich man that wants to know how to obtain eternal life. But Jesus, instead, takes issue with the man addressing Him as "good teacher." Jesus asks, "Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good." Jesus is pointing out that the man has a defective understanding of what goodness is. The standard by which our goodness will be judged isn’t a human moral standard. God's standard of goodness is much different. This man mistakenly thinks he is better than he actually is. We make the same fatal flaw, mainly because we usually don't think sin is all that bad. We undervalue our sin and overvalue our righteousness. What about you? Is there a chance that you believe you are better or more righteous than you actually are?

  • Even though this guy thought he kept the commandments, he obviously hadn't heard Jesus' sermon on the mount, where He said lust is the same as adultery and hate is the same as murder. Jesus was making the point that it's not just about behaviors, it's about the state, and even motives, of our hearts. And the smallest of those internal sinful thoughts is enough to separate us from God for all of eternity. When was the last time you were broken over your own sin? Spend some extra time today in confession before God, asking Him to reveal anything in you that's unclean. 

Pray:

  • That you would remember that only God is good.
  • That you would be broken over your sin.

This Week's City 7:

3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)

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