05/30/2026
Following Jesus changes us in countless ways. Our tastes in music, the entertainment choices we make, the relationships we choose to nurture or avoid, our hopes and dreams become more eternally focused.
Jesus told a familiar parable in Luke 10 about a man who demonstrated love and hope to someone in a time of distress. A man who was traveling was robbed, beaten, and left for dead by the roadside. Two "church folks", a priest and a Levite, saw him, avoided him, turned away and ignored the problem. But another man, a Samaritan, who, by the standards of the day, was thought to be a sinner, paid attention and acted. This sinner went to the wounded man, bandaged his cuts, lifted onto his own donkey, and took him to a local inn and took care of him through the night. The next day, he paid the innkeeper to take care of the injured man even promising more money if needed. Jesus said if we show mercy, we are pleasing to Him.
The closer we get to Jesus, the way we love other people definitely shifts. When we see hurting, lonely, suffering people, our heart should be moved to compassion for them. Instead of judging and avoiding them we want to meet needs, offer encouragement, and show them the love and hope of Jesus. This might look like buying a meal for a hungry family, referring a homeless veteran to social services, buying a cup of coffee for a lonely friend. Offering a word of encouragement, giving a warm hug or smile, or sending a note just to let someone know you were thinking about them. There are countless ways to demonstrate our love for Jesus in the way we treat others. Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves and to do unto others as we would want them to do to us. Following these two directions from our Lord will show that we love people like He wants us to. How can you love people like Jesus this week?
