This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s Message: Who Is My Neighbor? (WATCH HERE)
Luke 10:36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
The hero of Jesus’ story shocked His listeners.
It was not the priest.
Not the Levite.
It was the Samaritan.
The very person many Jews would have considered an outsider became the example of godly love.
Jesus has a way of breaking down the walls we like to build.
We naturally divide people into categories.
People like me.
People unlike me.
People who deserve kindness.
People who probably do not.
But the Gospel eliminates those categories.
Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
Christ died for every person you meet.
That changes everything.
Perhaps your hardest neighbor is not the one living next door.
Perhaps it is the difficult coworker.
The family member who hurt you.
The person whose opinions differ from yours.
The stranger who seems nothing like you.
God does not ask us to approve of everything people do. He calls us to love them because He loves them.
That love begins with prayer. When we pray for someone, it becomes much harder to hate them. As Christ’s mercy reshapes our hearts, barriers begin to fall. Not because people deserve it, but because Christ’s grace has already reached us.
Reflect: Is there someone you have quietly decided is outside the reach of your compassion? How can praying for that person begin changing your heart?
Prayer: Gracious Savior, thank You for loving me when I was far from You. Break down the walls of pride and prejudice in my heart. Help me to see every person as someone You created and someone for whom You gave Your life. Amen.