Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
July 4, 2024
Luke 10:25-37
25 A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?” 26 Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?” 27 He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” 28 Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” 29 But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. 31 Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 32 Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. 33 A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34 The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ 36 What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?” 37 Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Good Morning! Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”
This morning, let’s consider the injured man. Who is he? He could have been anyone; he is simply described as a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Any one of us could be that person.
We get up one morning and prepare for a journey, and suddenly we are attacked and left lying on the side of the road. What are we thinking at that moment? I’m sure our thoughts would range from “I think I’m going to die!” to “Somebody, help me, please!”
Did the injured man in the parable see those who crossed the road, or was he only aware of the one who offered assistance? If we put ourselves in that situation, we can empathize with the one who is hurting. We imagine that we couldn’t simply walk away, but in reality, we might do just that.
Think about walking through a sketchy neighborhood. Would we honestly stop and help a stranger who looked different from us and was in need, or would we put our own fear ahead of the needs of another person? These are hard questions. We can make all kinds of excuses, but Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are weak and confused, but God’s grace and mercy give us the strength to love our neighbors.
God of Love, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. We know the right thing to do, but we are self-centered and scared. Help us love others as you love us. We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God is calling us to help our neighbors.
Reach out and show others the love of God! Pastor Liz
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