Economics reveals moral crisis

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  (Mark 10:17-22 ESV) 

There is a great message here. Paul says that “… the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). He was merely repeating what our Lord said in this discourse. Money will buy anything except the most valuable thing – eternal life. This discourse reveals the impossibility of a rich man entering into heaven by means of his riches. It is impossible for any man to enter heaven by his own means. 

The man can’t do it; only the Lord Jesus can. We have the idea today that money can buy everything. Someone has written these lines about money that we do well to think over: 

Money will buy a bed, but it will not buy sleep.
Money will buy food, but it will not buy an appetite.
Money will buy medicine, but it will not buy health.
Money will buy a house, but it will not buy a home.
Money will buy a diamond, but it will not buy love.
Money will buy a church pew, but it will not buy salvation

Jesus invited this young man to get rid of that which stood between him and God. If he had followed the Lord Jesus, he would have learned that the reason Jesus is good is because Jesus is God.

Reflection

As America has prospered; are we not a reflection of the rich young man who confronts Jesus as recorded here in Mark 10? 

About 75% of the adult population in America identify themselves as Christian. In contrast, 80% of Americans believe we are in an an economic crisis. What is the likelihood that America - and the world - is actually in a moral crisis and the "economic crisis" is simply a symptom of the "disease"?

If we are serious about healing we must seek a second opinion from One Who has no "economic" interest. 2 Chronicles 7: 14