Matthew 19:21
"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.”

When the rich man asks Jesus about how to receive eternal life, Jesus gives an unexpected answer. He does not talk about faith or trust or a Christ-centered belief system. Instead, Jesus turns to the ten commandments (specifically the five that deal with earthly relationships; vs. 18-19) and concludes that perfection comes by sacrificing for the poor. Doesn't that sound like Jesus is teaching salvation by works?
Yet Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

The truth is that Jesus is not teaching that salvation comes by works. He is proving that our salvation will be proved by our works. The validity of our faith is tested by how we live it out. If we truly love God and love our neighbor as ourselves (Mt. 22:37-40) then we will hold nothing back from God and others. To say we love God with our lips and then deny Him with our lives, possessions and relationships is no love at all. Furthermore, how can we say we love God who we cannot see if we do not love our neighbor who has been created in His image?(1 Jn. 4:20)!

So what am I withholding from God? Where am I loving only in thought or word and not in action and sacrifice? "For (I am) God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for (me) to do" (Eph. 2:10).

Father, let my faith be true. Teach me to sacrifice and hold nothing back in my love for You and for others. Sharpen my hearing to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Let my faith be known by what I do, not only by what I belief. Amen.