The Unexpected Hero Devotional Guide
Monday: Read Matthew 23:23-25. These hard words from Jesus to the Pharisees remind us that when it comes to our faith we can often miss the forest for the trees. We can get so preoccupied with the externals or become so lost in the weeds of doing everything right that we forget the heart of our faith and the reason why we follow Jesus. In following the disciplines of faith, we can forget the spirit our faith. In an effort to follow the tenets of faith we can make decisions that go against why the tenets were established in the first place. Can you think of some examples? What are some ways that can help us stay connected to the heart and spirit of faith?
Tuesday: Read Luke 10:25-28. In this passage an expert in the law was essentially asking Jesus, “How do I get into heaven?” It is not a bad question, but it was all about him. A better question would’ve been, “How do I live a life that is pleasing to God?” Heaven is real but as someone wisely stated, “Jesus wasn’t so much interested in helping us get into heaven as he was in getting heaven into us.” For Jesus, to get heaven into us we simply must follow the Greatest Commandment (vs. 27): Love God and love others. If we do this, we will live. The Greatest Commandment encapsulates our faith. Why do you think it is often difficult for us as Christians to remember and live out the Greatest Commandment?
Wednesday: Read Luke 10:29. By asking, “And who is my neighbor?” the lawyer was really asking Jesus, “Who don’t I have to love?” Jesus’ love is so boundless and relentless that we often think like the lawyer – “Surely, there must be a limit to who I have to love. Do I really have to love everybody?” Who are the people in your life you find difficult to love? Why do you struggle with loving them? Today, pray for the people you find difficult to love. Each day make a habit of praying for unlovable people. See if you notice a change in the way you see them.
Thursday: Read Luke 10:33-35. Most of the people who heard Jesus tell the story were Jewish. When Jesus said the word Samaritan his listeners probably gasped in disgust. Jews and Samaritans were enemies. Nevertheless, it was the enemy who was the hero of the story. The Samaritan helped the injured man (a person who was probably his enemy as well). It was “the other,” the outsider, the enemy who was closer to the Kingdom. Why do you think Jesus made the Samaritan the hero of the story and how does it inform your faith?
Friday: Read Luke 10:36-37. Notice the lawyer could not bring himself to say, “Samaritan.” Someone has noted that if you do the math in this parable, one out of three people was willing to help the other – one out of three. This one is a follower of Jesus. This one looks for the other in life and helps them. Remember, Jesus was also the despised and rejected one and he certainly rescued us. Who is the other in your life who needs help? Are you the one?