I call this lesson “God Loves People and Desires All to Be Saved,” and this is from the story of the Rich Young Ruler. “Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me’” (Mark 10:21, BSB).

Why did Jesus tell the rich young ruler to sell everything? Because He loved Him! God’s motivation is always love. God so loved the whole world that He gave to us His one and only Beloved son, and suffered to watch Him misunderstood, betrayed, maligned, threatened, abandoned, beaten, tortured, mocked, and killed. Because He loved us. Jesus bore all our sins, the heaviest weight possibly known to man, because He loved us. God’s heart is for everyone. God desires that all might be saved and come to a knowledge of Him. His will is that none should perish, but all come to repentance. (That’s two different verses.)

That’s God’s heart. God didn’t put up an impossible task for the rich young ruler to block His entrance to the kingdom. He told him what he needed to do in order to be saved. His heart was for him to be saved. He loved the rich young ruler, so He told him what he needed in order to be saved: to stop clinging to his wealth and let it go and follow Jesus instead.

In the Psalms we read the question, “Why, O Lord?” I can tell you exactly why. You can know why God is asking you to go do, or go through, something hard. The answer is always because He is good and loving!