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“There came one running…and asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17).
“And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God” (Mark 10:18).
It seems that this wealthy young man really wanted to please God, and was trying to keep the law. When he saw the perfection in the Lord Jesus, he probably thought, “This man has the secret; I will ask Him how to do it.” But the Lord Jesus had to make him realize that no one could be a “good man” in his natural state before God. As we saw yesterday, we all have sinful natures; we have all “gone astray.” We cannot please God unless we have a new life.
This ruler had to realize that he was not speaking to another ordinary man; he was speaking to God Himself in the person of His Son. Then Jesus put him to the test. Could he give up his many possessions and follow the Lord Jesus? No, he valued those things too much.
No man in his natural state will give up the pleasures in this world in order to have treasure in heaven. But when we have Christ, we can willingly sacrifice the things of this world for the One who died for us. Then the Lord promises we will have treasure in heaven.
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