A Book Called YouSample

The Achiever

Today we’re talking about the Achievers. They’re constantly busy, they’re thinking about the future, and they’re always in a rush.

In Mark 10:17, the story begins like this: “As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him,” notice that the man is running. Achievers are always running. They have places to go. They have things to do. They’re going to make stuff happen. Achievers feel like life is too short. They want to be successful at all costs. It’s the only thing that matters. At their best, Achievers want to make a difference; at their worst, they just want to look important.

So here’s this Achiever; you may have heard Christians call him “the rich young ruler.” This man comes running up to Jesus, kneels down, and says, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” To the Achiever, it’s all about the victory. He was saying, “Not only am I winning at this life, Jesus, but I want to know how to succeed in the next life too.” So Jesus got to the heart of the issue rather than the question that was asked.

“’Why do you call me good?’ Jesus asked. ‘Only God is truly good.’ But to answer your question, you know the commandments” (vv. 18–19).

“‘Teacher,’ the man replied. ‘I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young’” (Mark 10:20). In other words, “I’ve been an Achiever since I came out of the womb. I have been successful at everything I do.”

Pay attention to this: the rich man thought he had obeyed the commandments perfectly ever since he was a little kid because he was an Achiever, and he was successful at everything he did. But do you know what the first commandment is? “You must not have any other god but me” (Exodus 20:3). So what did Jesus do? He called out the rich man for worshipping his stuff. Jesus was saying to the rich young ruler, “Oh, you’ve mastered all ten? Well, why don’t we start with number one.” Now, what’s commandment number two?  “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind” (Exodus 20:4). Jesus was saying to the rich man, “Why don’t we really call it out? Why don’t you sell everything you have and then come and follow Me? Then you’ll have treasure in heaven.”

The Bible says the man’s face fell, and he went away sad because he had a lot of stuff. How sad is that? He walked away from ultimate success. If you’re an Achiever, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36). The rich man was going to hell, but he had a lot of stuff.

 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven!’” (Matthew 19:23). Jesus said not only is it hard for the rich to get into heaven, but it is impossible. “Jesus said again, ‘Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!’” (Mark 10:24–25). You may be asking, “What on earth does that mean?” Jesus told us what it meant. It means it is impossible. You can’t get to heaven on your own—even if you’re loaded. The disciples were astounded. They asked, “Then who in the world can be saved?” (v. 26). I love this next part. “Jesus looked at them intently and said, ‘Humanly speaking, it is impossible’” (v. 27). Many of you don’t believe this. 

A couple of years ago, I was getting ready to do my first Ironman event. If you don’t know what that is, it’s an event for crazy people. Seriously, you swim 2.4 miles, you ride your bike 112 miles, and you run a marathon in one day. And you have to do it in less than sixteen hours, or you’re disqualified. So a sweet lady in our church came up to me, and she said, “Pastor, I’m praying for you and your Ironman this week. I hope you win.”

I said, “What do you mean? You hope I win?”

She says, “Well, don’t you think you’re going to win?” I said, “No.”

She said, “Well, you’re the fittest person I know.”

I said, “But I’m not racing you.” So that’s why my church no longer lets me do counseling.

      You know why you’re not going to go to heaven apart from Jesus? Because you’re not Jesus. You’re not getting in. Your friends aren’t getting in. Your family is not getting in. Gandhi is not getting in. Mother Teresa is not getting in. Billy Graham is not getting in. The pope is not getting in. No one is getting in unless they follow Jesus. He’s the only way. It’s impossible. You can’t get to heaven from here apart from Jesus.

That is why we need to share our faith. That is why we need to tell people about Jesus. Even the most successful people, even Achievers, even the rich young ruler who had tried to do everything right since he was a kid can’t get there from here. Jesus said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” 

Respond

List things in your life that seem impossible.

Describe a time when the impossible was possible with God.

Prayer 

Father, help me remember on days that seem impossible, everything is possible with You.