LACK

What Do I Still Lack?

Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"

So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "

 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Matthew 19:16-22

The real story of the rich man who kept the commandments of God shows us that you can do all things right and still miss the boat as far as God is concerned. It was hard for the man to heed what Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Nevertheless God’s word is unchanging:

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Matthew 16:24-27

Yes, what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  The idea of being a loser in spite of all that you did in life was something that troubled apostle Paul. He was very conscious about being blameless and harmless in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation less he had run in vain or labored in vain. For these things do happen in life and God’s word is unchanging:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,  holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Philippians 2:12-16

Those who are God’s true ones, forget those things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead. They press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. They are beware of dogs and evil workers and worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. They count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord,  and  press on, that they  might  lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of them. As God’s word is unchanging:

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!  For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,  though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:  circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;  concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:1-14

God’s true ones, unlike the carnal ones, are filled with the knowledge of God’s  will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. They walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.  They are strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy. They continually  give thanks to the Father who has qualified them to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. For He has delivered them from the power of darkness and conveyed them  into the kingdom of the Son of His love, and has given them redemption through His blood, as well as the forgiveness of sins.

They serve the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation by whom all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. They preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that they might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. They seek the best interests of others above their own.  They obey the words of Jesus who told them:

…. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Mark 16:15-20

… He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:4-8

EXTRACT FROM Be Filled With All The Fullness Of God  
http://walthope.tripod.com/befilled.htm