Theme of the Week: Saying Yes to Jesus
Bible Verse: “Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise’.” Luke 10:37b
Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25-37
I was a 14-year-old boy walking to dinner in northern Ghana. Anxiety about what I’d soon eat gripped my mind and unsettled my stomach. No sooner were we seated than everyone got up and left the table; they went to investigate why a crumpled little girl bathed in tears sat just outside the restaurant door. I hadn’t even seen her; I’d walked right by.
She was 7 and abandoned to the streets. I still can’t fathom that uncomfortably common reality. Twice her years that day, I was too absorbed in my cross-cultural experience to notice her. I didn’t see her that day, but I’ve been ‘seeing’ her ever since. Jesus always sees her.
To talk of Jesus is to talk of loving the marginalized. Our Father is the God who sees (Genesis 16:13). Faithful Jesus, always about His Father’s business, both saw and loved alien, widow, and orphan.
Sometimes we don’t see the poor because we aren’t near them. Those of us working from home and living upwardly mobile lives sometimes have a proximity problem. Our way of living reduces the frequency with which we meet mugged Samaritans on the road to Jerusalem.
Perhaps you’re reading this and keenly aware you are the one in the ditch. Crippling depression, stifling illness, broken relationships, a demonic temper, or ruinous financial decisions have left you stuck. I pray we all see ourselves here. Recognizing our own poverty is a prerequisite for discipleship. Seeing and loving the poor must not obscure our own continuous need for God’s generosity.
As we travel through Lent to Easter, let us walk Jesus’ way with Him and ask Him to open our eyes. How many times have you and I walked right by the poor without seeing them? How many times have we become blind to our own need? Ask Jesus to open your eyes today and direct which roads you travel. When you see the poverty of others or run into your own, ask Him what to do and say yes!
Prayer: Lord open my eyes to those most in need of love around me today. Lead me to ask the right questions. Surprise me with new insight into the life of someone I thought was doing just fine. Show me how to love like you today.
Reflection: Think of the times you’ve been most vulnerable (financially, a rough childhood, recently divorced, seriously ill, etc.). Recall what that was like. Remember how heavy the burden was, the way people didn’t know or understand, the practical implications of it, etc. Then think about those who might be facing similar circumstances and recommit yourself to serve in whatever small or significant way God might open up. Prepare yourself to follow His lead.
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