My generation learned to play a lot of games growing up. Our games were outdoors for the most part. We played hide and seek, snake in the grass, tag, dodge ball, jump rope, softball, badminton, Annie over, cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers and blind man’s bluff.
Blind man’s bluff can be rather dangerous. The object of the game is to guide the blindfolded person around all obstacles with voice commands. Once, we let our sister, Sharon, walk down the concrete basement steps. Needless to say, the game ended rather quickly after that. She survived without any serious injuries, but it could have been really bad. Somehow, we all failed to recognize a set of steps as an obstacle.
Life will have its obstacles. Some are just natural obstacles, others place some there and many are of our own doing. The story of the rich young ruler demonstrates the last.
Luke 18:18-23 (NKJV)
18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
19 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' "
21 And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
18 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
19 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' "
21 And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
Jesus was trying to guide this man around his self-imposed obstacles to eternal life. What were those obstacles? They were self-righteousness, greed and self-centeredness. He failed to recognize them, but Christ did. The bottom line was his unwillingness to give up all to follow Christ. The thing he seemed to miss was that Christ promised him treasure in heaven (Ephesians 1:3).
Matthew 16:26 (NKJV)
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 03-21-09
26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 03-21-09
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