Your Neighbor is God Appointed
What Must I Do? – Part 2
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25-28
Key Verse: Luke 10:25
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Maybe Jesus’ answer to the scribe in our scripture passage for today and yesterday’s devotional is confusing. The question Jesus answered was, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Maybe you would want Jesus to answer, “You don’t do anything; you simply believe.” Unfortunately, Jesus did not answer the question as we might like! However, when we understand what true believing is, Jesus’ answer does describe the truth about receiving salvation by faith.
Jesus told the scribe that if he went on with his life loving God with all of himself and lived out love for people, he would inherit eternal life. The only person who could truly live out that lifestyle is a person who is totally convinced that Jesus is right and worthy to be followed. In other words, faith is the foundation to our behavior! This scribe might fake the lifestyle for a while, but the truth is if he did not truly believe God’s Word, he would never be able to consistently live God’s Word.
James, the brother of Jesus, wrote: “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). God is our Creator and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that what we truly believe will be demonstrated in the way that we live out our lives. (Continued)
Father, I want to show the world around me that I love you. Help me to live out what I believe today, with your courage! In Jesus’ name, amen.