ARE YOU GOOD?< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Matthew 19:16-26

Now behold, one came and said to Him, ÒGood Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?Ó 17 So He said to him, ÒWhy 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.Ó (Matthew 19: 16-17) The race in this life is not about being good because being good does not get any one to heaven. When Jesus was on the face of the earth, everything he said, every move that He made was a message to teach us, lead us and to guide us to where He is today. Here JesusÕ response was meant to erase every thought or claim of being good as a vehicle that goes to His presence. Jesus indicated that no one is good except the only One that is good. He had been good before evil showed his ugly face and that qualified Him as the only One that is legitimate and qualified Him to be called good. God is good, and there is no one that could be any better . Any attempt for a man to claim to be good will lead him out of where God wants us to be. All that God wants us to be is to be righteous. Righteousness is the only vehicle to get us to His place. To enter into righteousness is to have accepted Jesus as our Lord and savior. 2 Corinthians 5:21, ÒFor He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.Ó It is clearly specified here that our righteousness is in Christ Jesus. Any man that is in Him indeed and in truth, but not in mouth, and in making noise, is set in the journey that leads to glory. All that is born of man knows that Jesus is good, even the ones that have deliberately taken a stand not to accept Him knows that He is a good God and Him being referred to as good is an understatement. Have you been consistent working in your place of worship? You are the one that picks it up where all is put down and your service among the brethren is worthy of praise and reckoning. In manÕs dictionary good is the better way of identifying you. JesusÕ word for you is: good is not enough to get you through, but living righteously is. Living righteously is only by the blood of Jesus and if any man rejects Him that will be rejected. Being righteous is the only way that leads to eternal glory; while being good will get man stranded from getting to where He has made for us.