by Corine Gray, Barrie Campus, Guest Services and Finance Team
Welcome to Day 10 of the 24 Day Devotion. So glad you’re joining us! Each day for 24 days as a church, we’re going to read one chapter of the Gospel of Luke and post a devotion on it.
If you’ve never read the Bible, we’re so glad you’re joining us. And if you read the Bible, we hope this helps you grow in your faith.
Need to catch up? Start at Luke 1 – Is The New Testament A Lie? and follow along. Today’s devotion is below.
READ Luke 10
REFLECT
Luke chapter ten shows us that Jesus had many more followers than the twelve disciples.
Throughout the chapter, Jesus emphasizes the importance of service to others. There are many ways to serve Jesus and others, and we need to remember to pray for more workers. As you and I serve, we can pray that others will join us.
Jesus also challenges his followers to be devoted to God and to love their neighbours.
He points out that there are many things in life that will distract us from following his message of love for others. As we follow Jesus, living out our faith should be a sincere commitment, and praying for and encouraging others is our responsibility, too.
We need to be humble in our service for we are serving not for our own gratification but we are serving to glorify our God!
Our reward will come in heaven not from the accolades of others.
Our neighbours are everyone around us no matter what race or social or economic background. We need to act to meet their needs out of love. Jesus' challenge to us turned the world upside down.
Treating people with compassion was not normal, is not normal, if not for God.
The story of the Good Samaritan shows how easily it is to react in a selfish way to a person in need. How do we normally react?
avoidance
exploitation
curiosity
criticism
gossip
Only the Good Samaritan – who was considered in those times to be in a very low class – acted out of love for his neighbour and was willing to do whatever it takes to help someone in need.
Too often, our service becomes self-serving and we forget to devote time to God. Avoid “busy work” and remember why we serve.
BOTTOM LINE
Jesus challenges us to love God and serve one another – an idea that turned the world upside down.
LIVE
In what ways are you doing “busy work,” or filling your time with thoughtless activities? In what ways are you serving God?
We can honour God in all we do – whether it's the way we treat our children, the way we pray, the way we carry out our tasks at work, our involvement in volunteer teams, serving our spouse, loving our neighbour, cooking dinner for our family.
Ask yourself: “How can I love God and serve others today, on purpose, for God's glory?”
PRAY
Pray that God will use you in a powerful way not for your glory but to honour and glorify His name. “Lord, help us to serve others in need no matter what their circumstances and help us to pray for others and to equip them to serve You. Keep our focus on Your wonders and loving our neighbours.”
