There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law?
How do you read it?”
He said in reply,
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live.”
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
“And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied,
“A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
‘Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back.’
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” LK 10: 25-37
The man, a scholar of the law, asks Jesus the million dollar question today, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus then asks him a question, “What is written in the law?” The answer is how we become saints. 1. You must love God first above all things with your whole heart, being, strength, and mind. How do you know you are doing this? God is what you get up early for. God is who you spend time with everyday. God is what you make a priority (not your phone, friends, or Netflix). God is who you continue to learn about. God is the One you continue to develop a relationship with. Not there yet? Me either. This is what we strive for. 2. Who is my neighbor? Anyone in need. How do we inherit eternal life? Mercy is helping those in need with compassion starting with those in our own home. Think about the way you treat those closest to you. We have a lot of work to do. I often treat those closest to me the worst. It is a daily challenge! Are you generous? Do you enter a room and ask anyone if they need anything? Are you the first to volunteer? Do you look for ways to help others? Looks like we all have some work to do to gain eternal life. With God’s grace anything is possible.
Today’s challenge: Set a goal for yourself to be nice to those closest to you, to do something for someone without them asking, to be generous, to volunteer instead of doing something you want, and wake 10 minutes early to talk to God first thing in the morning. Make these things habit by doing them everyday.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
Heart, Fight, Trust
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