You have something in common with the wise men in the Christmas story. God wanted the wise men to find him, and God wants you to find him too this Christmas. Today, we’re going to study the life of another person who deliberately sought the Lord. Join me now in the book of Mark.
Special thanks to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, for bringing us the Bible For Busy People this Christmas season!
Show Notes:
- Trust in God by Elevation Worship
- Who Is Jesus? Let us introduce you!
- Have a prayer request? Leave it here.
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Transcription:
Hi, you’re living out the Bible right now. Listen to this.
Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.12 Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given, 13 you children of his servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
Advice from King David coming straight out of First Chronicles chapter 16. Hi. Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, your host, and you are seeking the Lord. You are remembering his wonders, his miracles by clicking on this podcast episode. All this week, you and I are spending time seeking the Lord, just like the kings who followed the star and found hope and joy and peace in the baby Jesus who was right under the star. Right where God put him. And if you seek the Lord, if you search for his strength, oh my goodness, you are going to find him and he is going to make you strong.
Today, we’re going to study the life of another person who deliberately sought the Lord. By the way, the word sought just reminded me of something. There is a new song that I totally encourage you to Google today. It’s called Trust in God by Elevation Worship. There’s a whole beautiful lyric in there that says, “I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered”, and if you search for God, if you turn to him, he will answer you. You have something in common with the wise men in the Christmas story. God wanted the wise men to find him and God wants you to find him too this Christmas. Join me now in Mark chapter 10, verse 17. We’re going to meet a person who asks Jesus a question that maybe you’ve wondered about as well. Here we go.
As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Wow, I didn’t expect to pitch a tent here and I’ve read this story so many times, but we’re pitching a tent because there’s something I never noticed before. Maybe it’s because this story is in another gospel as well, and it’s not written this way. But did you catch that? This man came running to Jesus, knelt down before him. Clearly the reputation of Jesus preceded him. This man had either heard stories about him or heard Jesus speak himself. We don’t know, but this is a powerful demonstration of respect and the fact that he made haste, he ran to him, says something else too. But in the meantime, let’s continue. I’m going to repeat the man’s question. Picture him now on his knees.
“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”
And I just want to point out here really quick. Jesus says something interesting. “You know the commandments”, so he must know this man’s heart. Perhaps they have met before. I love wondering about these things. Verse 20, now.
“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard[b] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” 26 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. 27 Jesus looked at them intently and said,
And I want you to imagine here that he’s looking at you and saying these words, the Lord Jesus.
“Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” 28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said. 29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30 will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31 But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”
You might wonder why I’m getting emotional here, and I wasn’t expecting it, but I will tell you, I want to invite you into my heart. About five years ago, God called my husband and my children and I to move 3000 miles away from everything and everyone who was familiar to us. And it’s very hard, especially as my parents get older and my niece and my nephew grow up, to be so far away. To only get a chance to see them a few times a year. But every time I read this passage of scripture, I’m reminded that there is a heavenly blessing waiting for me someday. That he sees the sacrifices that my husband and I and our children have made in our lives, because we consider this life one long, continuous, awesome mission trip. We are on assignment wherever the Lord God sends us, and I want to invite you into living this way. Into looking Jesus in the eye when he asks you to do something and say, Lord, this is hard, but yeah, I’ll follow you. I’ll go where you would have me to go. And you may not see the reward on this side of heaven, but one day you will be rewarded, you will be blessed. And here in the meantime, Jesus is going to walk with you. When he says, follow me, that means he’s with you and that’s good news, right? Alright, until next time, you are loved.
Thank you for making space to study the Bible with me today. If you feel something stirring in your soul, that’s the God who made you, saying, I love you and I want to know you. It’s what Christmas is all about. Jesus came for you so that your soul would know its worth. He came to bring joy to the world, and to your world. It’s the most beautiful love story ever written, and it’s true. It’s the greatest rescue mission in history, and it was for you. If you want to respond to that stirring in your soul, to know Jesus a little better, please take a moment and check out our show notes, where you’ll find lots of hope and encouragement for your journey.
The Bible for Busy people is brought to you this Christmas season by Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Every day and every night, their team is on a mission to share the good news with our neighbors who are homeless. Like the angels who came on the night, Jesus was born. They make sure that every person who walks through the doors of the Mission knows that there is hope because Jesus came, and how much He loves them. Every person they meet on the street encounters the love of Christ through a friendly smile, a warm blanket, a cup of cocoa, and an invitation to take that next step toward healing from addiction or mental illness. If you want to be part of making sure every soul knows its worth in Seattle this Christmas, volunteer or donate at ugm.org. Thank you and Merry Christmas.
This podcast is one branch of a Christmas tree called Purposely, a network designed to connect you with life-giving conversations, and to inspire you to find and live out God’s purpose for your life. If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose.
