IN NEED OF RESCUE

In Need of Rescue

A Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

Luke 10:33

READ LUKE 10:30–37

A teenager named Aldi was working alone on a fishing hut anchored about 125 kilometers (about 78 miles) off Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island when heavy winds knocked the hut off its mooring and sent it out to sea. For forty-nine days, Aldi drifted in the ocean. Every time he spotted a ship, he turned on his lamp to try and get the sailors’ attention, only to be disappointed. About ten ships passed the malnourished teen before he was rescued.

Jesus told a parable to an “expert in the law” (Luke 10:25) about someone who needed to be rescued. Two men—a priest and a Levite—saw an injured man as they were traveling. But rather than help him, both “passed by on the other side” (vv. 31-32).

 We aren’t told why. Both were religious men and would have been familiar with God’s law to love their neighbor (Leviticus 19:17-18). They may have thought it was too dangerous. Or perhaps they didn’t want to break Jewish laws about touching dead bodies, making them ceremonially unclean and unable to serve in the temple. In contrast, a Samaritan—who was despised by the Jews—acted nobly. He saw the man in need and selflessly took care of him.

Jesus wrapped up His teaching with the command that His followers should “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). May God give us the willingness to risk reaching out in love to help others.

By Poh Fang Chia

REFLECT & PRAY

God, open my eyes to the needs around me and give me Your heart of compassion for others.

Who has Jesus put in your path that needs your help? How can you put your love into action today?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

The question-and-answer session in Luke 10:25-37 was initiated by an “expert in the law” (vv. 25, 37). In some translations this term is rendered lawyer and comes from the Greek word nomikos (“pertaining to legal matters”). The focus was the law of Moses. The law experts were also known as “scribes” or “teachers of the law”; they occupied positions of authority (Matthew 23:2) and were thereby respected. These religious scholars, the theologians of that day, were the preservers, interpreters, and judges in matters of the law. Early in Luke’s gospel, when Jesus was twelve years old, He became separated from His parents for three days. They found Him in the temple courts sitting among the teachers, interacting with them and confounding these experts (Luke 2:46). Later in Jesus’ life those of this guild were ripe for His rebuke (11:45-54). Arthur Jackson

HOW YOU FIGURE THINGS OUT

YOU ARE BLESSED - 366 DEVOTIONS

HOW YOU FIGURE THINGS OUT

It’s just human nature to try and figure things out.  So, when we’re in

the midst of a situation, we usually try to reason our way through it.

Joyce Meyer

When things aren’t going well, it can feel like you’ve simply got the wrong pieces or your personal jigsaw puzzle.  The facts that like a good jigsaw puzzle, you can’t always see the whole picture until you get enough of the pieces together.

If you take one piece at a time, using a sort of trial and error, learn as you go method, you’ll find some of the right pieces.  If you build a framework that looks right, then you may simply have to trust that you’ll be able to finish the work even when doubt sets in.  The more you keep working with it, the better you’ll get and ultimately, your effort will pay off.  Your skill will improve with practice.

The final picture will come together, but it means you had to know from the start that it would.  You had to know that the beginning and the end would take you to the same place because truth begets truth and love begets love.

Figuring things out is partly about the end result, but it’s mostly about the process and how you get there is important to God.  Take it one piece at a time today.

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing

that something is real even if we do not see it.

Hebrews 11:1 NCV

Lord, help me to trust You as I put all the pieces of my life together.

Amen  

DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - JUNE 6

JUNE 6

The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing:

thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

Psalm 41:3

Lord, you do not let us live our lives alone.  You are with us in health, in sickness, and in every moment in between.  Thank you for your comfort and constant presence.  Thank you for sticking with us through the good times and the bad.  Most of all, thank you for being there when we need you the most.  Amen. 

WHEN PEOPLE PRAY

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

365 DEVOTIONS FROM OUR DAILY BREAD

WHEN PEOPLE PRAY

READ:  Acts 4:23-31

When they had prayed, the place where they were

assembled together was shaken.  Acts 4:31

Peter and John were in danger.  The religious leaders in Jerusalem opposing the gospel had warned them to cease their missionary efforts (Acts 4:18).  When the apostles reported this to the other believers, they immediately held a prayer meeting.

What happened next is thrilling.  The believers first praised God.  Then they asked for boldness that they might continue the work.  The results were dramatic.  The house shook, and the believers were filled with the Holy Sprit.  They boldly witness, enjoyed spiritual unity, and gave unselfishly to those in need (vv. 31-37).

I’ve never felt a building shake at a prayer meeting, but I have seen God’s power at work.  When I’ve tried to help repair a broken marriage or a divided church, I’ve asked those involved to pray.  Sometimes they refused.  Other times, though, they mumbled carefully worded prayers.  Those meetings failed.

But occasionally someone would pray in earnest.  Almost immediately the atmosphere would change.  Confession and forgiveness soon replaced charges and countercharges.

When we pray sincerely, praising God and seeking His glory, great things happen.  Prayer must always come from the heart.   HVL

Dissension’s fuse is easy to ignite-

It fuels our anger, yet it dims the light;

Help us, we pray, to humbly seek Your Name,

And in pride’s place restore the Spirit’s flame. -TLG

Sincere intercession is the key to God’s intervention.  

FOUND ON THE EDGES

Found on the Edges

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Luke 19:10

READ LUKE 19:1–10

In the middle of the crowd at a motorcycle demonstration where riders performed breathtaking tricks, I found myself needing to stand on my tiptoes to see. Glancing around, I noticed three children perched in a nearby tree, apparently because they also couldn’t get to the front of the crowd to see the action.

Watching the kids peer out from their lofty location, I couldn’t help but think of Zacchaeus, who Luke identifies as a wealthy tax collector (Luke 19:2). Jews often viewed tax collectors as traitors for working for the Roman government collecting taxes from fellow Israelites, as well as frequently demanding additional money to pad their personal bank accounts. So Zacchaeus was likely shunned from his community.

As Jesus passed through Jericho, Zacchaeus longed to see Him but was unable to see over the crowd. So, perhaps feeling both desperate and lonely, he climbed into a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse (vv. 3-4). And it was there, on the outskirts of the crowd, that Jesus searched him out and announced His intention to be a guest at his home (v. 5).

Zacchaeus’ story reminds us that Jesus came to “seek and to save the lost,” offering His friendship and the gift of salvation (vv. 9-10). Even if we feel on the edges of our communities, pushed to the “back of the crowd,” we can be assured that, even there, Jesus finds us.

By Lisa M. Samra

REFLECT & PRAY

Jesus, thank You for never simply walking by when I’m hurting but stopping to invite me into friendship with You.

How have you experienced feelings of being pushed aside by friends or family? In the midst of loneliness, how has Jesus found you and invited you to spend time with Him?

Your gift changes lives. Help us share God’s love with millions every day.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Jericho, one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, is located in the Jordan Valley with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. In the Old Testament, it’s referred to as the “City of Palms” (Deuteronomy 34:3; Judges 3:13). It’s best known as the first city taken by the invading Israelites (Joshua 2, 6). After its conquest, Joshua placed a curse on anyone who might rebuild it (6:26). About 500 years later, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt the city at the cost of his two sons (1 Kings 16:34), a fulfillment of this curse.

The story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) takes place in New Testament Jericho, also known as Herodian Jericho. This site was built by King Herod more than a mile south of the Old Testament site. Modern-day Jericho is built on a site about a mile east of Herodian Jericho. Alyson Kieda

KNOWING YOURSELF

YOU ARE BLESSED - 366 DEVOTIONS

KNOWING YOURSELF

Human beings must be known to be loved;

but divine beings must be loved to be known.

Blaise Pascal

Becoming the real authentic you is about really knowing yourself.  It means that you know where your boundaries are and what “pushes your buttons” when you feel a bit angry.  You no what kind of music you like and what makes an evening feel like fun.  You know your fears and your hopes and your dreams.  You know your short-comings and the things you secretly hope no one will ever know about you.

As in other relationships, you can love and appreciate yourself more when you know yourself well.  In the case of knowing and loving God, it’s a bit different.  God seeks to help you know Him.  He reveals Himself to you over time so that you can grasp more of His divine nature as you mature.  You have worked to know more about Him because you already love Him.

God knows everything about you, even those secrets you might like to hide.  He knows you and He loves you.  Keep letting Him into your life, into every area of your being, and you will come to know Him as a true and loving friend.

Everyone who lives has been born of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7 NIV  

Lord, help me to invite You further into my life so that I might 

know more of You and build my relationship with You.

Amen. 

DAILY PRAYERS & BLESSINGS - JUNE 5

JUNE 5

I, even I, am he that blotteth out they transgressions for mine

own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Isaiah 43:25

A chart of my efforts to change traces a jagged course, Lord, like the lines on a heart-rate monitor.  Reassure me that instead of measuring my failures, I must remember to that I am alive and ever-changing.  Help me become consistent, but deliver me from flat lines.