“All these I have kept from my youth,” he [the rich young ruler] said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack …” – Luke 18:21-22
Try to imagine Jesus saying these words to you. Whatever words He said to you next would make you aware of at least one undeniable, verifiable sin in your life.
And when you can see one sin in your life (and you’re really convinced that it is a sin, and that it is in you), it won’t be long before you see that there is a whole confederacy of sins in your life—many sins, working together, feeding off each other—and the whole thing is growing within you.
Seeing your own sin is like trying to see little fish in a lake on a sunny day. Someone says, “Look at all these fish!” And you say, “I don’t see any.” Then you see one, and suddenly you see them all over the place. That is what it is like with sin. When you can see one sin in your life, it will not be long until you see the whole confederacy.
A successful young man once came to Jesus. He had it made in this world, and he wanted to be sure that he would make it in the next, so he said to Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (18:18).
Jesus discerned the man’s heart and said, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor… and come, follow me” (18:22). The man liked to pass himself off as a man who loved God and his neighbor, but the truth was he was in love with himself, so his face fell and he walked away.
He came to Jesus with the idea that he was keeping all the commandments. But Jesus opened his eyes to one sin. How long do you think it was before he saw the whole confederacy?
Can you name one sin that you see in your life right now?
