Daily Devotional for Friday, February 20

The Observation from the Parable

“Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise,” Luke 10: 36, 37.

There’s no shortage of bad neighbors, so it is a blessing to find an example of a good one. April Neale shared the account of Patricia Chance, a 53-year-old Houston grandmother, who was saved when her neighbor helped rescue her from her burning home. Chance had just fallen asleep when the fire started. Her neighbor Craig Chilo saw the flames. “I was saying, ‘Get out! Get out of the house! Get out of the house! Fire! Fire!’” Chilo said. Chance said Chilo’s yelling woke her up so she could escape.

Jesus made it clear the best way to show the love of God is to help those in need without prejudice or partiality. The Jews and the Samaritans were bitter rivals (John 4:9). For the Samaritan to be the hero in Jesus’ story illustrating the fulfillment of the Law was the supreme insult to His hearers and provoked them to anger. Jesus wanted them to understand that the work of God cures the heart of prejudice and partiality. The work is a heart transplant, a trading of a stony heart for one of tenderness and compassion.

The Law cannot produce authentic Christianity. Adherence to a system of rules and regulations tends to turn your eyes upon yourself and your accomplishments. The Jews were proud of their accomplishments and standing in their religion, but they lacked a changed heart which could only be the result of a born-again experience. The true measure of a Christian is indeed their love for God and the compassion they have for their neighbor, but the quantity of love and compassion is measured not by what one knows, but who they know, and how one ministers (James 2:14-18).

Consider This

Has your Christianity been tested with an opportunity to minister to a stranger? If so, how did you fare?

John Nations