[Gary Petty] Are you a young person who's grown up in a Christian church and a Christian denomination and you're pretty sure of what you believe, you're pretty sure of what you do as being right? If you are, listen to this story.

This is from the Gospel of Mark. Now, as he, Jesus, was going out, out on the road, he came running...this man came to him running and knelt before him and said, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I shall inherit eternal life?" Now, this is interesting because this is a practicing Jew. This is a young man who had grown up in Judaism, had always done what he knew God wanted him to do. I mean, he hadn't committed adultery, he hadn't stolen. He had always worshiped the only true God. He never was involved in idolatry in any way. And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good, but one that is God. You know the commandments? Do not commit adultery. Do not murder, do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and your mother."

So, He starts listing some of the basic moral principles of the scripture and the man answered and said to him, "Teacher, all of these things I have kept from my youth." He said, "But I've done that." Now, Jesus didn't say, "No, you haven't. No, you haven't done that." What it says is then Jesus, looking at him, loved him. He did all these moral things and he tried to obey God, but when he came face to face with the Son of God, he had to find out that deeper inside of him was something that wasn't right. You see, you can grow up in a church and you can believe that you're all well.

"I am right with Jesus. I'm doing what I should do. God's happy with me. I keep all the rules." That's the way this young man felt and Jesus loved him. He was a good man from a human viewpoint. And then look what he says to him. One thing you lack deep inside where we don't go. There was one thing that was lacking. "Go your way, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and come take up the cross and follow me." Jesus actually offers discipleship to this man. He says, "Good, you're a young man. You live a moral life. Now let's see what you're really made of. Come follow me. And to do that, you're going to have to give up everything." You read on, the man went away sad because he had great possessions.

If you grow up in a Christian church and you think you have it made because, "Well, I know the basic truth and I go to church and I do the moral things I should do," I want you to think of this. Because Jesus Christ is saying to you, it's not enough. It's not enough. "Come be my disciple. Give up everything," and that means you're going to have to look at your life and see what kind of value you've accepted, what kind of things you do, and think and feel that seem natural. It's just sort of part of what everybody does, but it's not what Jesus Christ wants from his disciples. And then you're going to have to decide when he asks you, "Come follow me." What's your answer?

That's "BT Daily." Thanks for watching.