Title One thing lacking (Luke 18:18-30)
Contents
"The power to focus the mind or attention on a certain thing" is called "concentration (集中力, attention"). This concentration is an essential virtue for any job. Loss of concentration is less effective, leads to accidents, and increases the chances of failure. I can focus more, but I can't and shouldn't have any leeway left over. You must do your best. We need to focus on simplicity. That way anything can be accomplished.
Talented people often fail. Why? Because I can't concentrate. I can't focus on one thing because I have so much talent I'm good at this and that, so I can't concentrate on one thing properly. So it always fails. No matter how good you are at one thing, when you do one thing, you have to be an idiot for another. You have to think that this is all and hang on to it.
It was when Leonardo da Vinci had just finished his masterpiece The Last Supper. He invited another painter to look at his paintings. The invited painters took a closer look at Da Vinci's paintings and said, "How beautiful is the cup in the hand of Christ!" Da Vinci then quickly picked up his brush and wiped the glass. And then he said this. There is a very famous anecdote that said, "I don't want it to be in this picture that distracts the face of Christ."
When Leonardo da Vinci saw his paintings, he wanted everyone to focus on Jesus Christ.
If there is one thing in our life that diverts our attention away from the glory of Christ, we need to fix it right away. You must have that determination and courage. I bless you in the name of the Lord that you can erase what you have taken away and lost your concentration in gaining eternal life.
The officials mentioned in today's text thoroughly obeyed the law since childhood.
In the Law, there are 365 commandments not to do ... and 248 commandments to do.... 365 is the same number as a year. There are things you shouldn't do every day for 365 days. And 248 is equal to the number of bones in our body. Just as we need 248 bones in our body, we must practice the 248 laws. Isn't it amazing? This kind of consideration is hidden so that we can keep what God has said without forgetting it. However, this ruler always kept these commandments in his head and put them into practice.
And he was still young and rich. He was a very upright, exemplary person in many ways, both religiously and worldly, and had nothing to be envious of. He was a man who kept the commandments and obeyed the law not only as an adult, but also from a young age. And now he was a zealous man for eternal life. Jesus loved this young man who was zealous and asked questions about eternal life and the kingdom of God.
But Jesus advised this young man that he lacked one thing. What was that one thing lacking? It was not having the determination to deny himself and follow the Lord.
This young man was rich. The Lord knew that this young man depended on material things to live. That is why I told you not to depend on what you have depended on until now, but rather deny it and follow me.
Everyone wants to have good faith. And they want to be saved and have eternal life. But there is always one difficult problem. This is because there are objects of attachment in our lives that are hard to give up. This rich young man could not give up his wealth. I want to enjoy it as it is now, live as I used to, and enjoy eternal life with a rooftop house. I want to enjoy the convenience of city life and also enjoy a rustic life. But it is not possible to enjoy both this and that. If you choose one, you must give up the other.
For some, that one thing might be honor. or knowledge, custom, status, status, affection, family. It could be tradition, etc. When a person's heart becomes a captive to such things, it becomes an obstacle to their religious life. The rich young man was so engrossed in wealth that he could not get eternal life and became a person of sorrow.
This rich young man was probably the only one who came to Jesus and went away with trouble without solving the problem.
The Bible introduces a man who was very similar to this rich official, but who gained eternal life by giving up what this official could not give up. He is Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was an official and was rich. Then Zacchaeus heard about Jesus, went out to meet him, and because he was short, he climbed up a fig tree and waited for the Lord. When he saw that Zacchaeus, he told him to come down from the tree, and he said that he would stay at your house today. At this time, a surprising confession is heard from Zacchaeus' mouth.
He said, "I will give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have extorted anyone's things, I will repay them fourfold."
What was the word you saw this figure the Lord? Today salvation as being descendants of Abraham Ido endureth to the house've. "
Christians are not people who have all this and that, but for the sake of this, they give up everything generously. The Lord said, "I lay down my life that I may take it again" (John 10:17). There are things that can be gained without giving up. In John 12:24, it says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
Saints!
Like the rich young man here, we want to be able to reflect on ourselves at this time, boasting about what we have and not discovering one thing we lack in ourselves.
If the Lord could point out one thing that I really lack in coming before the Lord at this time, what would it be? May you find it, I bless you in the name of the Lord.
In the name of the Lord, I pray that you will be able to show the concentration of your faith by finding one thing that lowers the concentration of your faith in yourself this time and surely solving that one. I believe that, like this rich young man who is a ruler and rich young man in today's text, we should not be worried about one thing and return home.