By Tim Norman
January 20, 2019
Many times as Christians, we emphasize all the things we’re not supposed to do. But when we read the Gospel accounts, Jesus spends much more time on the things we should be doing, and why we ought to be doing them.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, a lawyer comes to Jesus and asks “What should I do to inherit eternal life.” Jesus answers in Luke 10:26:
He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 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” (Luke 10:26-28).
The man “wishing to justify himself” then asks Jesus to clarify who the neighbor is that he ought to be loving, and Jesus responds with the parable that we’re so familiar with — how a man whom the Jews would have viewed as defiled and unholy went out of his way to aid a stranger in peril, while two men of God walked by on the other side and did nothing. The answer to the question “what should I do to inherit eternal life” was: “Go and do the same” (v. 37).
As Christians, we have to understand what God expects from us when He commands that we love our neighbor as ourselves. It’s not enough that we simply do not abuse or do evil to other people; we’re called to do good to them as well. And one is not more or less important than the other! I can’t expect that God will accept my lack of evil deeds as a substitute for my lack of good deeds.
The Bible talks about having a sense of urgency in doing good for other, “making the most of your time” (Ephesians 5:15-16). James writes that we have no promise of a tomorrow, and therefore if we know to do good and choose not to do it, it is sinful. (James 4:13-17). Do we live our lives seeking to do good with this sort of urgency?
Four thought questions as we seek to emulate Jesus, “going about doing good” (Acts 10:38):
- Are we leaving good deeds undone in our treatment of others?
- Are we working as hard as we should in our service to God?
- Are we sure that we’re spending our time and effort on the important things?
- Do we see the work of God as something we retire from once we’ve done enough?
