Devotionals

Day 1: Religion Without Compassion

Luke 10:25-31; James 2:14-17

The priest in Jesus' story knew Scripture perfectly, yet walked past human suffering. How often do we polish our religious routines while stepping around broken people? Faith without action is like a car without an engine—impressive on the outside but powerless to move. God's heart breaks for the hurting, and He invites us to share that heartbreak. Today, ask yourself: Am I so busy doing religious activities that I've forgotten God's will? True faith compels us toward people, not away from them. The priest valued his purity over a man's pain. Jesus values people over programs. Let your theology become biography—lived out in sacrificial love that crosses the road toward need.

Day 2: From Awareness to Action

Luke 10:32; 1 John 3:16-18

The Levite saw the wounded man and felt something—but feeling isn't enough. Awareness without action is like a diagnosis without treatment: knowing what's wrong but refusing to apply the cure. Many believers have mastered nodding in agreement on Sunday but haven't learned to move their feet on Monday. Compassion that never crosses the street is just an emotion that evaporates. God didn't just feel sorry for our brokenness; He acted decisively through Jesus. Today, identify one person or situation where you've been moved but not motivated. What's holding you back? Fear? Inconvenience? Pride? Mission starts when you say, "I'm done watching—I'm going to walk toward the need." Let your compassion have legs.

Day 3: Grace Goes Where Religion Won't

Luke 10:33-35; Romans 5:6-8

Jesus shocked His audience by making a despised Samaritan the hero. The religious leaders failed, but the outsider demonstrated God's heart. Grace touches who others avoid. Grace pays what others won't. Grace goes where religion refuses to tread. The Samaritan didn't conduct a background check or ask if the victim deserved help—he simply saw need and moved. His compassion was costly: his supplies, his time, his money, his future commitment. This is the scandalous nature of God's grace toward us. While we were still sinners, Christ crossed every barrier to reach us. Who have you written off as undeserving? What prejudice keeps you from showing mercy? Today, ask God to give you eyes that see past labels to the image of God in every person.

Day 4: The Blank Check of Love

Luke 10:35; 2 Corinthians 8:1-9

"When I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense." The Samaritan gave the innkeeper a blank check—an open-ended commitment with no limit. This is how Jesus loves us. His sacrifice wasn't calculated or conditional; it was extravagant and complete. He didn't just pay our initial debt; He covers every ongoing need. Mission isn't a one-time donation or a convenient gesture—it's a lifestyle of costly, inconvenient, dangerous love. It means getting personally involved, not just financially invested. It requires walking when you could ride, spending when you could save, returning when you could forget. Where is God calling you to write a "blank check" of commitment? What relationship or cause needs your sustained, sacrificial attention? True mission costs us something.

Day 5: Go and Do Likewise

Luke 10:36-37; Matthew 25:31-40

Jesus didn't end the story with a discussion question—He gave a direct command: "Go and do likewise." Mission isn't a sermon to analyze; it's a lifestyle to embody. It's not about exotic locations overseas; it's about the person next to you today. Your mission field includes the coworker nobody talks to, the neighbor who never smiles, the friend who's fallen on hard times. God has strategically placed you where you live, work, and play to join Him in His mission. You are called—not to talk about compassion, but to be compassion. Today, cross the road. Bandage a wound. Pay a cost. Inconvenience yourself for someone else's benefit. Your mission isn't somewhere else—it's someone near you. When Jesus returns, may He find you not passing by, but stopping, stooping, and serving. Now go.