Missionary Renegade: The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Wednesday, 01 June 2016 - “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?”

Saturday, June 4, 2016

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Wednesday, 01 June 2016 - “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?”

The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Wednesday, 01 June 2016 - “Teacher, what good thing must I do to have eternal life?”
Daily Scripture: Matthew 19:16-22
Reflection Questions:
Sometimes Jesus asked people important questions. At other times, people came to him with important questions. That was the case with the young man’s serious question in today’s reading. His question about how to find eternal life seemed to come from a genuine desire to follow Jesus. But when Jesus made it plain to the young man that his heart was not free because of the way he idolized wealth, the young man sadly turned away.

All kinds of life-shaping questions stand behind the surface question in this story. Jeremiah 31:33 said, “I will put my instructions within them and engrave them on their hearts.” The young man said, perhaps proudly, that God’s instructions were in his mind, but his sad decision showed that they hadn’t quite reached his heart. He refused Jesus’ call to new priorities. One question is, do you obey God out of a sense of duty or family pressure, out of heartfelt love for God and others—or not at all?
Another crucial question that grows from this story is: Is there any possession or position that is so precious to me that I’d choose it over Jesus? The central issue for Jesus was not the young man’s wealth, but what held the central place in his heart. The gospel of Matthew told us how the young man sadly answered the question. What is your honest answer today?

Today’s Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I’m asking you what I must do to have eternal life. Please show me if there is anything I value more highly than you and your Kingdom—and if there is, help free my heart from that captivity. Amen.
-------Insight from Dave MaGee

Dave Magee is the Director of Student Ministries at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Leawood Campus.
Today’s Scripture reading reminds me of a question that I frequently get from students in my role as youth minister that is some variation of “What happens to good people who may not know or believe in God?” Rather than directly trying to answer that challenging question, I usually respond with a set of further questions (learned that from Jesus!):
Me: “What does “good” mean? What does a “good” or “bad” person look like? If I do 10 good things but 9 bad things does that make me a “good” person today? What if I do 5 bad things today but 1 seemingly really good thing today, what kind of person am I now? What if I have 4 good days this week but 3 bad days, was I a good or bad person this week?”
By this time the student usually has gotten the point. Counting good and bad thoughts and actions really is neither a logical nor a God-based standard for evaluating our lives in relationship with God. So if we are all some complex mix of good and bad, then we really can’t use “goodness” as our standard before God. Numerous times in Scripture, rather than being “good,” God instructs to “Be holy, because I (God) am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).
Our “good” deeds merge with our sin to cause us to fall short of ever being able to be holy on our own merit. The only reason God would call us to be holy if we couldn’t achieve holiness on our own is because God offers us the opportunity to participate in Jesus’ holiness, in Jesus’ goodness through his life, death and resurrection on the cross.
Even John Wesley, the founder of United Methodism, struggled with the concept of striving for holiness and being the best Christian he could every day. He wanted clear evidence of his faith. Wesley kept a daily journal. For portions of his life he recorded his activities every hour every day, ranking himself on a scale of 1 to 9 on how well he had lived out his faith and avoided sin. Of course his rankings were never perfect, leaving him frustrated but relying on God’s sanctifying grace all the more.
Rather than seeking the “one good thing” like the young man in today’s Scripture, or asking myself like Wesley what my daily numerical ranking might be, perhaps the better question would be: “God, how can I accept, participate in, and be transformed by your goodness today?”
Prayer – God forgive me when I fall short, and allow me to accept and be part of your offer of goodness and holiness through the life of Jesus Christ.