The Faith Journey: A Devotional

Loving One Another

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

(Luke 10:25-37)

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

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. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."

Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

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Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet

(John 13: 12-17)

When Jesus had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

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Our mission in life is to love others and serve others for God, each in our own wonderful way. We are to love God with all of our heart, and in turn love others and show His love through our words and actions. Through reading this scripture, we witness the best example of unconditional love and service – Jesus! Jesus died on the cross to save all of us, and in turn we are to love others and serve others as Jesus loves and serves us.

Mark 10:45 says, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." We, because Jesus gave his life for us, must give our lives to God and open our hearts in love to serve others for Him.

Love your neighbor as yourself. An example of beautiful faith I've been reading about recently is the life of Katie Davis, in the book Kisses from Katie.

(Anyone read it? I recommend it to everyone.)

It's an example of faith and how God can use every single person to His glory in the most amazing ways. Katie was at the top of her class, a homecoming queen from a wealthy family, but above all she is God's child. She went on a mission trip to Uganda before graduating and saw so much need. Children were dying, there was insufficient medical care, and a need for education. From that moment, Katie knew she belonged in Uganda. She went on a year-long trip after graduating high school and ended up making a life-long commitment. She left behind her home, her family, her boyfriend, and all she'd known. She said "yes" to God's will and left behind everything to serve Him. She ended up adopting thirteen Ugandan children, starting up a ministry to support and be able to educate almost 500 children, and she continues to provide a home and medical care for all the people in the village and around who need help. Katie said "yes" and God opened the door into an unexpected future, but the best future she could never have imagined. As she says her book, "Jesus wrecked my life, shattered it to pieces, and then put it back together more beautifully."