This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s Message: Who Is My Neighbor? (WATCH HERE)
Luke 10:30-32 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
The priest saw.
The Levite saw.
The Samaritan also saw.
The difference was not what they observed. The difference was what happened in their hearts.
Luke tells us that when the Samaritan saw the wounded man, “he took pity on him.” Compassion moved him from observation to action.
How often do we see without really seeing?
We notice the tired cashier, the lonely widow sitting by herself in church, the overwhelmed parent, the struggling coworker, the discouraged teenager. Yet our schedules, distractions, and assumptions keep us moving.
Compassion begins when we allow ourselves to see people as God sees them.
Jesus did.
Throughout the Gospels, we repeatedly hear that Jesus was “moved with compassion.” He saw crowds that looked successful to others but appeared to Him as sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36). He noticed those everyone else overlooked.
The same Savior now opens our eyes.
One of Satan’s greatest victories is convincing us that people are interruptions.
God calls them neighbors.
Imagine driving through your neighborhood. Every house has a story. Behind one door is someone grieving. Another family is struggling financially. A teenager wonders whether anyone notices them. An elderly couple longs for someone to visit.
God has not placed you there by accident.
The people in your life are not random encounters. They are opportunities for Christ’s love to become visible.
Ask God each morning to help you truly see.
You may discover that your greatest ministry begins with simply noticing someone everyone else walks past.
Reflect: Who in your daily life might God be inviting you to truly notice? What distractions keep you from seeing the needs of those around you?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see people as You see them. Remove my selfishness and my hurry. Give me the compassion of Christ so that I may notice those who are hurting and reflect Your love in practical ways. Amen.