“Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’”

Mark 10:21
Our biggest problem is the problem of love—we don’t love God first and most. Yesterday we talked about the solution to that problem, God’s love for us. That’s a tidy answer, but we don’t always feel the deep, eternal truth of it. We wish we could see His love in some sort of tangible way.
Let’s go back to a day on the road to Jerusalem when Jesus confronted a rich young ruler with his idolatry. Jesus spoke hard words to him that day, challenging his love of money and demanding action. But before He spoke those words, Jesus took time to look at the young man. We’re told that “he loved him.” Can you imagine seeing love in Jesus’ eyes? That man did, so it grieved him to turn and go away. He made his choice after meeting Jesus, but was it the end of his story?
Not necessarily, because the personal love he saw in Jesus’ eyes that day took Jesus all the way to the cross. If the man had been one of the crowd at Calvary, he would have looked up and seen that love again. Jesus loves idolaters. And that’s good news for you and me!



Scripture Focus

Mark 10:17-22

Insight

His love, which kept him on the cross until it was finished, turns our idolatry into worship.

Bible In A Year

  • Deuteronomy 1-2
  • Psalm 80
  • Acts 1

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