Day by Day with Martin Luther

Read: Genesis 39:1-41:16 Matthew 12:46-13:23 Proverbs 3:33-35

“Surrendering the Self”

“And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”
[Titus 3:14]

Thus it is not your good work that you give some alms or that you pray, but that you surrender yourself completely to your neighbor and serve him, wherever he needs and wherever you can, be it with alms, prayer, work, fasting, counsel, food, and finally even with suffering and maybe even even dying for him. Tell me, where now are such works to be found in Christendom? I wish I had a voice like a thunderbolt of iron so that I could preach to all the world and tear the little words “good works” out of people’s hearts – or at least give them the right understanding of those words. It is simple – just serve your neighbor for the sake of Christ, and leave it at that.