Gospel Reflections #740: It's a Choice to Stay Connected

Matthew 19:17 “Jesus said. Why do you ask Me about good things?"

This is what the rich young man said after he asked Jesus what good thing he should do to gain eternal life.

If you look at the other Gospels, you will see that he was a government official. A young man, rich, and with a high position as the ruler of a country, well, he would be the typical person that would make anyone think that he would be happy if only he had this. But the funny thing is, he was insufferable.

And he thinks that the kind of abundant life that we have in Jesus comes through good deeds. He wanted to do good deeds like Jesus. So Jesus said this.

In response to the young man's question to Jesus about good, Jesus says that there is only one God who is good, and I am that God.

Therefore, what Jesus is trying to teach here is that eternal life comes not from our own deeds, but from being connected to God.

Eternal life comes not through our own deeds, but through intimacy with God, through fellowship with God.

The disciples' main focus was to be with Jesus, but good deeds result from being connected to Jesus Christ and having a strong bond with Him.

Jesus wanted the young man to realize this.

Sometimes we have the illusion that if we do these things we will be saved or grow as Christians, but God is teaching us to set aside all of our ability to do these things and to rely on Jesus.

Our efforts need to be directed toward connecting and staying connected to God.

If we ask for it in prayer or in conversation with God, He will respond to that request and work in us.

Eternal life is Jesus Himself.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.