DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 14 December 2025: What is Missing?
Text: Luke 18:18–30 (KJV)
Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ”
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”
27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.”
29 So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”
KEY VERSE: Luke 18:22 (KJV)
“Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing…”
Automobile manufacturers occasionally recall vehicles when they discover a missing or defective part that could cause malfunction or fatal accidents. Sometimes, the issue is simply an overlooked component in the assembly process.
Such recalls continue until what is missing is replaced, because regardless of how excellent the rest of the features are, the vehicle becomes unsafe and essentially unusable until the correction is made.
Similarly, the rich ruler who approached Jesus seemed to have everything going well for him. He was young, wealthy, knowledgeable in the Law of Moses, morally upright, and spiritually curious. He even desired something many in his age bracket ignore: eternal life. On the surface, he was an ideal candidate for discipleship.
Yet Jesus pointed out that “one thing” was missing—his willingness to detach from his earthly possessions. His love for wealth held him captive, and the sacrifice required to follow Christ wholeheartedly was too costly for him. He desired heaven, but he was unwilling to part with what had taken over his heart.
The call to discipleship demands sacrifice. The journey to heaven requires surrender. Nothing in this world—whether possessions, positions, privileges, pleasures, talents, or time—must compete with our devotion to Christ.
True followers of Jesus are willing to share their resources with the poor and invest in the things that matter to God, especially within the household of faith.
Believers must consistently examine themselves to ensure nothing vital is missing in their spiritual lives. It is possible to appear religious yet lack the essential “wedding garment”—the righteousness and consecration needed for admission into heaven.
The man without this garment in Jesus’ parable was cast into outer darkness, not because he didn’t attend the feast, but because he failed to meet the requirement.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Watch out, lest you neglect to procure the real ticket for Heaven.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Daily Manna 14 December 2025
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