May 16

May 16 - Today from Proverbs 16 we look at verse 2
"All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord."

In Luke chapter 10 we see Jesus approached by an expert in the law. He wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. When questioned by Jesus regarding what the law said, this expert answered correctly in saying, "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, Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus told the expert that he gave the correct answer, "Do this and you will live." But there was something unsettling about this exchange. Somehow the expert had gained no assurance of his security in eternity through the legal answer given. Jesus only told him that he gave the right answer. Did he qualify? Feeling insecure, the expert in the law could not let the conversation rest there. Evidently he was pretty secure in his own mind that he properly loved God, but he must have been a little unsettled with this 'neighbor' thing. In verse 29 we read, "But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?" This opened the door of opportunity for Jesus to expose the motives of the man's heart. He told the parable of the Good Samaritan and I am sure that the expert in the law realized that day that he had already failed the test. He was going to have to find another way to inherit eternal life, and it wouldn't have anything to do with his ability to keep the law.
In Luke chapter 18 Jesus has another encounter with a seeker, this time with a rich young ruler. This young man also wants to know what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds with the portion of the law that has to do with loving your neighbor, "Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother." (I get the feeling that legalists have a very difficult time with the concept of loving their neighbor.) The rich young ruler replied that he had kept all of these commandments since he was a boy. Once again Jesus takes the opportunity to expose the motives of the heart of this seeker. He replies, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come, follow me." He gave this young man more information than He gave the expert in the law. With both He revealed that love is active, not passive. In the case of the man beaten and who lay dying on the highway, legalists passed by while love addressed the needs of the man. In the case of the rich young ruler, he may not have committed any legal crimes against his neighbors, but he also refused to attend their needs when he had more than sufficient means to do so. He didn't love his neighbor. He too would have to find a different way to inherit eternal life, for he too had failed the test. This time Jesus went further and showed Him the way. "Repent, and follow me."
You see, the young ruler valued his wealth more than he valued his neighbor. Jesus tells him to repent and get his values in line with God's eternal principles, and then continue in his heavenly inheritance by following the giver of life Himself.
How easily we can deceive ourselves by defining our own boundaries and thinking that they are the boundaries of righteousness. How quickly God can reveal our self-deceived ways by showing us how short our little self-made boundaries fall of His perfect love and righteousness. How wonderful that He did not leave us to suffer in our own smallness and guilt. He simply says, "I have shown you where your motives were wrong. Now repent, and follow me." If we fail to repent because we value our system more than His righteousness, we can walk away sad - just like the rich young ruler. But one chapter later, in Luke 19, we see a man who did get his values in order. Zacchaeus gained sight of the true riches of Jesus' righteousness, and he gladly repented and followed Him.
One of the values of studying God's Word is to discover where we may have deceived ourselves and are missing the true riches of following Jesus. Conviction is a blessing when we are willing to repent and get our values in order. There is nothing more valuable than walking with the giver of life. We no longer need to ask, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" We can know that He purchased it for us, and that we can walk in our inheritance as we follow Him daily. Life is in the Son. All we need to do is abide in Him.