“And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise, a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robber’s hands?” And he said, “The one who showed compassion to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.” (Luke 10:25-37 NASB)
As you will note or have already noted, the name of “The Good Samaritan” is not mentioned in Jesus’ parable above. Being succinct this morning, let me state that what we do and why we do it, as Christians, is more important than wanting our name to be mentioned or desiring lofty praise where we are mentioned by name. In regard to the “Who, What, and Why,” it is the latter of the two that are important. Think about this today and the next time you are tempted to have an attitude or an aggravated disposition because you did not get your props! The Lord has your props! Yes, the Lord knows you, and the Lord knows what you have done in accordance or even what you have done that is not in accordance with His word. And get this! He recognizes you by your name in the heavenly corridors of heaven! Therefore, focus on the “what” and the “why” today! Have a wonderful Wednesday! Be blessed!
“One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King