Luke 10:25-37

Thoughts –

In this reading, an expert in the law was trying to trip Jesus up with the question of …

What must we do to inherit eternal life?*

Jesus asked him what the law says, and the man quoted, …

We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and love your neighbor as yourself.*

Jesus went on to tell the parable of the “Good Samaritan” to illustrate the kind of sacrificial and dedicated love a “neighbor” has. He purposefully chose to juxtapose the character of the Samaritan {who the Jewish leaders would have immediately looked down upon} against two other characters who would’ve been considered of spiritual and social superiority.

Jesus’ story begins with the two “spiritual giants” each passing consecutively by a wounded man who was beaten and on side of the road. Ironically, these “spiritual giants” were the ones who saw the wounded man, but showed no compassion.

The lowly Samaritan who came by after them showed compassion and more—providing for the wounded man’s needs until he was back on his feet, without any expectation of being rewarded or repaid.

Being a “neighbor” always involves giving and great sacrifice.

Being a neighbor begins when we allow our hearts to be moved to compassion.

We do not and will not feel compassion when we are focused on ourselves and our own pain or agenda.

My Reflection –

I {Beth} don’t have the kind of compassion that’s necessary to reach out and sacrifice like this man did. I’m convicted by memories of when my actions mirrored the two who passed by rather than the Samaritan’s. It grieves me to admit that I’ve often been more like the “spiritual giants” who believed they had more pressing needs to attend to, than to reach out or give as a need arose around them. For the most part, I don’t let God interrupt my schedule or my “sacred” rituals. I want and desperately need to look to Christ to arouse compassion in my heart for those who interrupt and require much even if only for the moment in my life.

Bottom line for all of us …

It’s easy to put our spouses as  last on our long list of “to-do’s” and I’ll get around to him/her someday! We can become more concerned with the way our spouse has offended us, feeling justified in withholding compassion. When we do this for any length of time, our hearts become hardened like the first two dis-compassionate men in this story. One of the first steps to reignite compassion toward our spouse {or others} who might offend, is to take our eyes off our hurts and recognize the wounds of those God puts in our path. Christ’s compassion will come rushing into our hearts when we do!

What reasons excuses do you have for not showing compassion to your spouse or others who interrupt your routine?

What blessings are we missing out on {like compassion} when we ignore God’s opportunities?

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Focused Devotion will be a recurring blog post where I’ll share the thoughts I’ve written down during my time with God. These posts are randomly chosen and not in any particular order. Also, I will not be working specifically through any topic or book of the Bible. However, right now I’ve been reading in Job, Isaiah and Luke and sharing from one of those places. I may or may not continue this, but it will be something of a “staple” during my radiation treatment. Thanks so much!

*My paraphrasing of the verse(s) and am not quoting the reference word for word.

Linking up with – Marriage Mondays, Making Your Home Sing Monday, Living Proverbs 31, Monday’s Musings, and Playdates with God