Being Over Doing
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?” Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” Jesus 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.” At this the man’s face fell, and [he went away sad], for he had many possessions.
Mark 10:17, 21-22
BEING OVER DOING
Buying an airline ticket these days is very expensive, especially if you have to travel at the last minute. You feel as if the airlines want all your money—and your firstborn. For example, suppose I want to fly from Atlanta, Ga., to Dallas, Tex., but I find the cost is too high for my liking. So, I decide to create my own ticket. It looks just like the real thing. It has the correct airline, flight number, gate number, seat number, and departure time on it. In fact, I did everything correctly, but I created my own ticket. However, if I’m foolish enough to present the created ticket to the TSA agent to get through the TSA security checkpoint, it would be rejected as invalid. No amount of trying to persuade the TSA agent will help. I would be left out and likely thrown into jail. In a similar way…
This story in Mark 10 began beautifully. A fine young man, rich and well-educated, came to Jesus, bowed before Him, and asked a very important question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Don’t miss that! Most people came to Jesus to get something, such as healing or food for themselves or help for a friend or loved one. But not this man. This man was different. He was interested in spiritual matters. However, the story ended on a negative note, with the rich young man leaving “sad” by the response of Jesus. You see, this young man did everything right. He kept the law perfectly, and Jesus knew it. He prioritized “doing” over “being.” So Jesus cut to the heart. He knew this man’s crutch—and his crutch was his wealth, his riches, his possessions.
So what was the young man’s problem?
First, he loved his wealth more than he loved God. Possessing wealth is not wrong or sinful in and of itself. However, allowing wealth (or anything else) to stand in the way of complete surrender to God brings spiritual disaster.
Second, and even bigger, the young man misunderstood God’s way of salvation. He believed he was “good enough,” claiming he had always kept the commandments (doing). He wanted Jesus to tell him one more “good work” he could do that would guarantee him a place in heaven. This man was more concerned about “doing” than “being.” When Jesus told him to give up the one thing that was closest to his heart—his wealth—he could not do it. By that one act, the young man showed that he did not see himself as a sinner in need of God’s grace and forgiveness.
Listen closely: it’s been said that many people will miss heaven by 16 inches—the distance between their head and their heart. What’s most disappointing about this story is that the man walked away from Jesus “sad.” But why? Because, like countless others in our world today, the man refused God’s offer of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone. Jesus plus nothing! The man is never mentioned again in Scripture.
So, allow me to ask you, what is the one thing in your life that is holding you back from complete and total surrender to following Jesus? Is it your money, material possessions, job, position, or relationship? Or are you consumed with earning favor, acceptance, and approval by God for what you can “do” for Him? Don’t make that grave error. You will never be “good enough.” Always remember…
“Doing” for Jesus always flows out of “being” with Jesus.
Love God. Love People. Live Sent.
Be Worth Being,
Kevin
Kevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 43 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.