It’s time for your Thursday morning daily devotional. After Jesus told His disciples they were blessed because of what they’d seen and heard, He tells a story that demonstrates love and compassion. In today’s daily devotional, you’ll unpack many insightful layers when Jesus tells a story,
This Do and Live
In Luke 10:25, as Jesus teaches, a lawyer (religious scholar) stands and asks a question to test Jesus: “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” As a scholar, he knows what the law requires, so Jesus asks him what the law states. He quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, commanding, “love the Lord thy God with all thine heart” and “love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Jesus instructs, “This do, and thou shalt live.” Trying to find a loophole, the lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?” In your daily devotional, God’s Word is the final authority. He doesn’t compromise His Word or alter His commandments.
Oil and Wine
Then Jesus tells a story. A man travels to Jericho, and thieves rob him. He’s stripped, wounded, and left for dead. A priest comes by, looks at him, and walks away. Then a Levite comes by and does the same thing. Lastly, a Samaritan sees him and has compassion. He stops, pours oil and wine on his wounds, and bandages them. He puts him on his horse and takes him to the nearest inn.
He stays with him overnight, and the next day, he pays the innkeeper to care for him until he returns. He vows to repay the innkeeper if he spends more than the given amount. In this daily devotional, a popular saying is, “What would Jesus do?” It’s obvious that Jesus, who is love, would have compassion on someone hurting.
Healing Power
Then Jesus asks a riveting question: “Which now of these three thinkest thou was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?” When the lawyer answers, “He that showed mercy on him,” Jesus says, “Go and do likewise.” The lawyer had no more questions, as Jesus had made it clear that your neighbor is anyone in need.
This story has elements, such as oil and wine. Oil symbolizes the healing power of the Holy Spirit. In James 5:14, the sick are to be anointed with oil “in the name of the Lord.” In your daily devotional, the Samaritan carried oil, and you carry the oil of the Holy Spirit. As a believer, you “shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
Love and Forgiveness
Wine symbolizes Jesus’s love and forgiveness. He shed His blood to redeem and forgive man. There’s no greater love. The Samaritan, like Jesus, was willing to be interrupted, unlike the Pharisee and priest. The inn represents the local church where you receive help and healing.
The innkeeper acts as a pastor, who lovingly and caringly watches over the flock, tending to them like a shepherd anointing their head with oil. The Samaritan stays the whole day before leaving to return later, but the innkeeper remains, like a pastor pouring into him and keeping watch. In this daily devotional, thank God for good pastors, who care for their sheep.
You be Willing to do Whatever it Takes
In Thursday’s daily devotional, the Samaritan stays with the man that day. A believer usually serves faithfully in the local church on Sunday. Throughout the week, they should serve others in need, then point them to a good pastor. The second day, the Samaritan helped until departing; likewise, be willing to do whatever it takes. In today’s daily devotional, dig deeper into the life application stories Jesus teaches you.
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