Luke 18:18-23 retells the encounter of Jesus with a rich young ruler (NOTE: while his wealth is mentioned in this passage and the other synoptic gospels, his youth is unique to Matthew’s account. Reference Matt. 19:20). As a possible local synagogue official or member of the Sanhedrin, he was a pious individual who had undoubtedly heard of Jesus’s fame and ministry. In this encounter, however, the young ruler is not automatically accepted as a follower of Jesus, as Jesus instead used the situation to examine him. After the young man confessed that he knew and kept the moral law of God (primarily the Ten Commandments), Jesus says, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich” (Luke 18:22-23).
I want to encourage you not to be that person. Don’t be the type of God-follower who has most of his life together but fails at that one thing. What is your one thing? For the rich young ruler that “one thing” was his wealth. It blocked him from finding the very thing he needed most from Jesus. For you, it may not be money or wealth that’s your hindrance. Yet, you ought to determine what is the “one thing” (if anything) that disrupts your connection with God. Whether coveting, manipulation, gossiping, your career, gluttony, lying, worrying, pride of intellect, theft, partying, drunkenness, sex, pornography, addiction, violent tendencies, anger, mistreatment or bullying of others, prayerlessness, forsaking the Christian assembly—whatever it is, don’t let it keep you from the fullness of what God desires to do in your life through the Savior.
The rich young ruler sadly and tragically walked away from the Lamb of God, his only hope of salvation. He was looking into the very eyes of God while possessing all the religious upbringing that should have caused him to surrender all at the feet of Jesus, but he didn’t. There was one thing he lacked, and that one thing caused him to miss an opportunity to experience the fullness of God through His Christ. Consider the one thing you lack. May God bless you as you pursue Him through the Son.