"As He (Jesus) was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, 'Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?'” Mark 10:17

An ambitious young man had achieved material success at a young age, and pursued eternal life with the same zeal and ambition. He had worked hard to be successful, and apparently believed the same work ethic would earn him eternal life; thus his question, "what shall I DO to inherit eternal life?"

It's hard to be critical of someone so interested in eternal life as to do something so undignified as to run to Jesus and kneel before him. His humble and diligent approach is commendable, but the problem of motive is evident. Eternal life is not a reward for hard work, but rather a gift of grace. As a gift it costs nothing, but it also costs everything.

A better question for this wealthy young man to have asked would have been, "What is necessary in order to inherit eternal life?" He might have heard an answer similar to what a man named Nicodemus heard: "you must be born again." (John 3:7)

Grace and forgiveness are stumbling blocks to many people. A "merit badge" system is far more appealing to our human tendency to want to do something to earn God's favor. If salvation could be bought or bartered, many more might opt in.

Beginning with grace is no guarantee against reverting to a rich young ruler mentality. The apostle Paul was astonished that believers who had begun with grace had digressed to "merit badge" religion: "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another" (Galatians 1:6-7).

The sobering truth is that we are not immune to the same digression. The key is to constantly check our attitude. Am I living life in profound gratitude to God for what He has done for me in Christ? Or, am I rolling up my sleeves and trying harder to earn grace? From outward appearances, the difference is almost imperceptible. The truth is only evident to God and Christ, and through the voice of our own conscience.

If the rich young man teaches us anything, it is this: seek the life of the age to come with humility, savor grace, and live and serve gratefully. We can't go wrong today in making these our priorities.

Be sure to also visit http://thetruthrevolution.wordpress.com/ & https://kingdomdreamer.blogspot.com/

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