Charles Stanley - Is Something Missing in Your Life?

If you look at your life and feel you need a change, ask yourself what’s missing? In this sermon, Dr. Stanley uses the parable of the rich young man in Mark 10 to address our desire to change and where it comes from. Why the restlessness if all we are meant to do is follow Him?

If you could change anything in your life, what would it be? Feelings of dissatisfaction or emptiness are usually what motivate us to desire a change. But a change in our circumstances is a short-lived solution because only God can fill the empty place in our souls.

You can have it all yet still feel that something is missing. A young ruler in the book of Mark, chapter 10, had everything the world values—wealth, youth, possessions, position, and authority. There’s nothing wrong with having any of these, but ultimately they cannot fully satisfy.

Our love of possessions can cause us to miss the most important thing in life. Although money is good and useful in the right hands, it can never buy what we need most. Our most important possession is eternal life. That’s why the wealthy ruler came to Jesus. He had all the earthly possessions and achievements he wanted, but He knew He needed one more thing—eternal life.

The gift of eternal life is not the result of our good works. Although the ruler knew he needed eternal life, he assumed he had to earn it. Because Jesus could see into his heart, He knew the man’s problem was his love of money. It wasn’t that he owned much—but that he was owned by much.

Jesus loves us even when we make wrong choices. Christ’s interaction with the young man was motivated by His love for him. Jesus saw his problem, gave him the solution, and invited the man to follow Him. But the young man walked away.