Is the following an example of Jesus using practical application?
A man asked Jesus, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus in essence replied, “What does God say?” “What do you understand the Bible to say?”
Are you reading the Bible? Do you understand what it is saying?
The man gave his answer. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
Jesus replied, “You are correct, you got it. Now do that and you will live.”
Did Jesus hold the man responsible for his own personal application of God’s word in his life? We can do that if we are reading God’s word and striving to understand what God is saying.
The man had another question. He asked it because he was trying to “justify” himself. “And who is my neighbor?”
So Jesus tells the story we know as the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus then ask the man another question. “Which of the men in the story proved to be a neighbor?”
Again the man has to answer his own question. He does, correctly. And Jesus responds, “Go, do likewise.”
I get the idea, Jesus wants us to be reading God’s word, understanding it and applying it to our own lives.