February 13, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
Luke 10:25-37 (The Good Samaritan)
Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. – Luke 10:33 (NLT)
“Seeing With The Eyes Of God”
One of the prayers I regularly pray in my daily walks with God is that He will help me to see as He sees. What I’ve learned is that God views people differently than I do. I see people through the lens of my own bias, perspective, and selfishness. When I see people who are getting what they deserve, God sees an opportunity for grace. When I see people who are just going to suck the life out of me, God sees an opportunity to pour life into them. When I see people who are going to cost me time, energy, and effort, God’s sees an opportunity to be a blessing. That’s why God has compassion, while I may have indifference or even contempt.
How we perceive people will determine how we feel toward them. And those feelings will drive how we act toward them. If we see them as a bother, we feel annoyed and try to avoid them. If we see them as people who are getting what they deserve, we will pass right by them in our self-righteous arrogance. But seeing them as Jesus did causes us to CARE. And caring moves us to want to do something to help.
The Samaritan in the story saw the man beside the road differently than the priest or the Levite. He didn’t see the man as a “despised Jew,” as many of his fellow Samaritans would have. He didn’t see the man as someone who was getting what he deserved or someone whose troubles were going to ruin his day. He saw him as Jesus would have. As someone who was hurting who needed his help. A broken soul that needed mending. An opportunity to be the love of God in human form. And he felt COMPASSION for the man.
What a great prayer for us this week. “Lord, help us see as you see. Let the scales of our own biases and busyness fall away so that we might view those around us through your eyes. Let their needs touch our hearts. Let their cries for help reach our ears. Let us see them as the opportunity to pass along a little of the blessing that you have so richly poured out upon us. And let our hearts overflow with compassion. Amen.” That’s God’s Word for you today.

Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

5000 Abraham All-in Andrew Beggar Bible Bystander Christian Conscience Ears Easter Family Free GPS Galilee God can God God’s plan God’s work God’s Good deeds He’s there Holy Spirit I can’t Israel Jericho Jerusalem Jesis Jesusisyourshepherd Jesus Jews John Joseph Judea Kesus Kongdom Larry Bird Lazarus Levi Light Lord Lord’s Prayer Martha Mary Messiah Mother’s Day Nature News Nicodemus Opportunity Palm Sunday Peter Pharisees Philip Phillip Prayer Rocks Roman Samaria Samaritan Satan Soldier Sunday Thomas Walk Word Yeast Zacchaeus able above abundance accept action active acts addictions addiction admiration advice afraid again alliswell all alone always amaze amazing anger announce another answered anxiety anyone apologize application approval around attention attitudes attitude attraction audience authority average awe back bad baptism baptize barge in become beg behavior belief believe belong better beyond be big bitterness bit blessings blessing blind man block bluff born again born box bread breakthrough breath bridegroom brokenness broken brother business busy buyer call out calling call caregiver care caring cave celebrate chains changed changes change character charge child choice church clean clear climb closed hearts comfortable comfort commitment community companion compassion confused connect control conversation correction created creation creator credit crisis critics cross crowd cryout curses daily dark daughter day dead deal death debt decisions decision deeper defend defense depression desire despair despai desperation devil die different difficult direction dirt disagreement disappointment disciples discouragement disease distance divide divine doctor does donkey don’t waste doubt draw people in drift each earthly emotionalrollercoaster emotional emotions empty enemy entertain entitlement envy equal eternal life eternal eternity every kind everyday everyone evidence example exceptional excitement expectations experience eyes eye failure fair faithful faith fall farmer far fasting father fatigue fear feeding feed feel feet fickle fire first world first five thousand five-thousand flavor flesh focus follow forever forgiveness forgiven forgive foundation freedom friends friend fruitful fulfill further gather ghost gifts gift given up gives give glory godshapedhole goodness good gospel go grace grand idea grandparent gratitude grave clothes grave great greed growing guilt hands hang ups happen hard work hardship harvest have to head healer healing healthy heal hears hearts heart hear heaven hell helpless help heroes hidden hide hiding highs holiday holy day holy home honest honored honor hopeless hope house how humble humility hungry hurting hurt if only image immediate impact important in-laws influence information insecurity inside instantly instructions integrity intention intercession interruption invite issues itsalright joy justify kind king knows ahead know label lame lamp law lazy leanonGod leper liedabout life-change life limit linen listen living water longing looker looking loss lost loved love lower lows lust made magnetic majesty make manna marriage mask matters meaning mercy ministry miracles miracle mirror mission misuse moment money moon more mother motives mount mouth move name near needhelp need negative neighbor newlife new night notable obedience obey obstacle older old onestory onetruegod one open others other out overcome overflow ownership pain palm paralytic parent party passion paths path patience peace people perfume persecuted personal person physical piece places place plank plant plan pool possessions powerful power praise pray precious prepare presence present priceless pride private problems prodigal prophets protection provision purpose questionbehindthquestion questions question quickly quiet random reach react reason recincile reckoning recognize reconnect redeemer reflect relational relationships relentless remember repent resentment resilience respond response restore rest resurrection return reveal rich right away righteous right risk road rock roof room royalty ruin rule sabbath sacrifice sad salt salvation same saveme save say scarcity school scripture searching search second-guessing security seeds seed seeing seen selfish sermon servant serve serving shadows shame share sheep shepherd sick significance signs simple sinners sinner sinner’s prayer sins sin sky small part small snake soil son sorrow sovereignty speak special spend spiritual birth spirit spread start star stereotype stewardship storms storm story stranger strength stress strong man struggle study suffering summary surrender sync talents talent talk teachable teach temple temptation tempted tenacious tender testthespirits test thankful things thinking thoughts throne time timing together tomb tomorrow tongue-tied touch tough tradition tragedy transformed treasures trials tried trust truth try turn two uncertain uncomfortable unconditional undeserving unexpected unfair unfinished unknown unseen us value view viral voice vulnerable waiting wait wake up walking walkonwater warning water waves ways way weakness weak wealth wedding weeds weep well wept what can whatcanidoforyou whatsbehindthehurt what what’s wheat when who will windows wine wink wisdom with witness woman workers working work world-changer world worry worship worthy wounded wrll wrong yourself you