October 5, 2024 Daily Devotion

What Do I Still Lack?

Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?

Matthew 19:16

The young man who approached Jesus in Mathew’s gospel was already following the commandments and trying to live a good life. But he wanted to know what more he must do to gain eternal life. So he asked, “What do I still lack?” Maybe a better question to ask is “Who do I still lack?” In fact, it was Jesus that this young man was lacking.

This young man had good intentions to live a righteous life, yet he could not accept Jesus’ invitation to sell all that he had and “Come, follow me” (Mathew 19:21). Just as Jesus desired a personal relationship with this young man to become his “pearl of great price” — worth more to this man than all his earthly treasures (Mathew 13:46). Jesus, too, desires a personal relationship with each one of us as He knows that we are most fully satisfied and seeking His will when we are close to Him.