December 6, 2010
Truth Connections
Devotions for Parents on the Go

Go and Do Part One: Correct Answer
Background Passages: Luke 10:25-37
Today's Focal Passage:

25 Just then an expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the law?" He asked him. "How do you read it?" 27 He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. 28 "You've answered correctly," He told him. "Do this and you will live."

Luke 10:25-28, HCSB

Act Now

   My parents are huge fans of Wheel of Fortune. They plan their schedule so they can sit together and watch this show each evening. They enjoy seeing who can guess each puzzle first. This show is also a good one for my family to watch together. We have a kindergartener learning his letters, and this game helps with letter and word recognition.
  
As I watch, I am always amazed at the number of times contestants know the answer to the puzzle but risk losing everything by taking another turn. Why would they not act on what they know? So many times, these contestants choose to spin the wheel again, only to land on "bankrupt" and lose everything.

 
 Knowing Bible knowledge is important, but it's not enough. Merely talking is not enough either. We must be willing to put this knowledge and talking into practice. I am not suggesting that we must work for salvation. Salvation is a free gift made possible only through the grace of God. We are not required to work for it or to "solve the puzzle" to earn it.

 
 I am also not suggesting we can go spiritually bankrupt once we have Christ in our lives. We can be spiritually drained if we are not working to maintain our relationship with the Lord through time spent with Him and in His Word. We must keep in mind there are many spiritually bankrupt people in our world who do not know Christ or have a personal relationship with Him. If we choose not to act and show them the Way, we are simply contributing to their bankrupt state.   

Kyle Cravens
Digging Deeper: Luke's use of Parables

Luke includes more of Jesus' parables than any other Gospel. The parable of the good Samaritan is one of the most cherished of all the parables. Many Christians are aware of its general elements and teaching, but might not grasp the context in which Jesus gave this important parable. Earlier in Luke, Jesus referred to certain misunderstood truths by "the wise and the learned" (v. 21).