Key Thought

So often when the conviction of God's word strikes our hearts, we try to justify ourselves rather than simply throwing ourselves on the mercy of God and changing our hearts and lives. If the expert who had come to test Jesus had honest motives, Jesus' question, affirmation, and reply would have been enough. But, the expert wanted to look righteous more than he wanted to be righteous. How many times does this pattern of behavior reflect you? Let's realize that we cannot justify ourselves, but can find our righteousness only in God's grace given to us in Jesus Christ. Then let's go out and seek to live his life in the world as we are supplied by the power of his Holy Spirit!

Today's Prayer

Today's Verses in Context

Then a teacher of the law stood up. He was trying to test Jesus. He said, "Teacher, what must I do to get life forever?" Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you understand from it?" The man answered, "'You must love the Lord your God. You must love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.' Also, 'You must love other people the same as you love yourself.' " Jesus said to him, "Your answer is right. Do this and you will have life forever." But the man wanted to show that the way he was living was right. So he said to Jesus, "But who are these other people I must love?" To answer this question, Jesus said, "A man was going down the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. Some robbers surrounded him. They tore off his clothes and beat him. Then the robbers left the man lying there on the ground. He was almost dead. It happened that a Jewish priest was going down that road. When the priest saw the man, he did not stop to help him; he walked away. Next, a Levite came near. The Levite saw the hurt man, but he went around him. He would not stop to help him either; he just walked away. Then a Samaritan man traveled down that road. He came to the place where the hurt man was lying. The Samaritan saw the man. He felt very sorry for the hurt man. The Samaritan went to him and poured olive oil and wine on his wounds. Then he covered the man's wounds with cloth. The Samaritan had a donkey. He put the hurt man on his donkey, and he took him to an inn. At the inn, the Samaritan cared for him. The next day, the Samaritan brought out two silver coins and gave them to the man that worked at the inn. The Samaritan said, 'Take care of this hurt man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.'" Then Jesus said, "Which one of these three men (the priest, the Levite, or the Samaritan) do you think showed love to the man that was hurt by the robbers?" The teacher of the law answered, "The one that helped him."Jesus said to him, "Then you go and do the same {for other people}!"

— Luke 10:25-37 (ERV)

Comments on "Trying to Justify Ourselves":

Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. All rights reserved.