[Membersandfriends] Friday, October 01, 2004

Thu Sep 30 22:02:21 PDT 2004

The Upper Room Daily Devotional -- E-mail Edition
Brought to You by Upper Room Ministries
Friday, October 01, 2004

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ON THE SUBWAY
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Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV)

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
     But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

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A Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
-- Luke 10:33 (NRSV)
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HE was sitting in front of us on the subway. Appearing to be an alcoholic, he radiated poverty and hopelessness.  He must have fallen because he had scratches on his face and hands.  Suddenly my wife took a cloth from her purse and handed it to the man, who started to clean his face.  As I looked at the man, I saw something in him change.  He straightened his back, life came into his eyes, and he smiled.  When he stood up to leave the train, he turned to my wife and bowed to her.

Sometimes a great deed is not required to give another person the courage to face life.  But it is also not enough simply to feel sympathy; we must act.  In Jesus' parable of the good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite saw the beaten man on the side of the road, but they did not stop.  The Samaritan, on the other hand, saw in the badly beaten man a neighbor and stopped to help.

Jesus told this parable in answer to the question: Who is my neighbor?  His answer is clear:  We are to look at others with eyes of love and concern.  Everywhere there are people badly beaten and left on the roadside of life; they long to be seen and comforted.

Prayer:  Dear God, give us eyes open to see each one we meet with love and concern.  Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Feeling sympathy is not enough; Christ calls us to act in compassion.

-- Sven-Erik Jansson (Gotland, Sweden)

PRAYER FOCUS: Alcoholics

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RELATED READING ...

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The five areas of study are: Embracing the Journey, Feeding on the Word, Deepening Our Prayer, Responding to Our Call, and Exploring Spiritual Guidance.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/desc.asp?ep_id=30&item_id=42141

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The scripture quotation is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright (c) 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.