A relationship with God is not a formula that is satisfied when you check a list of items off of a to-do list. You can't simply say that you've done these things and not done these things therefore I have a relationship with God any more than you can say that about other people in your life. Sure the rules that God has ordained are important as they serve as boundaries for our relationship, but they do not define the relationship.
It's like this: in the business world, there are certain rules that the company has to abide by and there are certain rules that every employee must abide by. Just because you have not broken any of those rules and just because you might have done great things for the organization doesn't mean that you have any meaningful relationships with of the other employees much less the CEO. Those relationships are forged through communication and dedication.
The same holds true in our relationship with God. Just because the rich man had upheld all of the rules did not mean that he had any relationship with God. To have a relationship with God, he had to make God the most important thing in his life, and he wasn't willing to do that. The apostles were. They left their former lives behind to follow Christ, but the rich ruler was looking for another rule to follow, not a commitment to make. The question for you is, are you looking for more rules or are you looking for a commitment?
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