Matthew the apostle wrote how, “one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why do you call me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said unto him, Which? Jesus said, You shall do no murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, and in chapter nineteen and verse twenty of his book, Matthew shares how the young man asked Jesus, “what lack I yet?” where we read:
The young man said unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
The verse reads, “The young man said unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up:”. Matthew began with the words, “the young man or “the youthful male who asked Jesus what he must do to have eternal life” “said” which means “uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto him” which refers to “Jesus”, “all” or “each, every, the whole and everyone of” “these things” which refers to the “commandments Jesus shared with him” “have I kept” or “had the young man observed, watched and guarded” “from my youth up” which means “from the time the young man was of youthful age till his present age”. Matthew shared how the young man began to respond to Jesus' words and declared he had “observed” all the “commands” Jesus presented to him.
The verse continues, “what lack I yet?” Matthew added the word, “what” or “which else and more” “lack I yet” which means “does the young man have lack of, is devoid of and is in want of till the present time”? Matthew wrote how the young man questioned Jesus as to what more he needed to do to be able to have “eternal life”.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how the young man assessed his life and felt he had “observed” every law Jesus enumerated to him, and still, he was in want and lacked the ability to have and enjoy “age abiding life” that he saw in Jesus. God desires to give people “eternal life” that not only exists in the “future”, but also is attainable in this life. Jesus exhibited the “superior” way of living that is only possible by having a relationship with Him, and it is available to every person who yields their life to Him and receives Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”.
Next time Matthew shares how the young man says, “If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor,”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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