“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion.” – Luke 10:33
Scripture reading: Luke 10:25-37
Our verse today is part of the famous parable of the Good Samaritan. It is the story of a man who helps someone who was robbed and injured upon the side of the road. The help given is not glamorous. There are no news agencies to record the event, and no witnesses that we are told of. The Samaritan has to deal with blood and injury (for he bandages the man’s wounds), and it interrupts both the Samaritan’s plans and his bank account as he pays for the man at a local inn. But the Samaritan’s service, his help, is given as an illustration of the heart of the law of God. This picture is given as a key of what it means to be like Christ.
Service is one of the most beautiful fulfillments of the law. It is one of the keys of what it means to be like Christ, who came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28).
Service requires a natural dying to self, or dying to the old man. Perhaps this is why service is so closely linked to sanctification. God calls us to die to ourselves, and to serve others in His name. In the everyday outworking of this call, He grows us in Christ-likeness. May we be willing to follow Him.
Suggestions for prayer
Pray that God would help you deny yourself in serving Him.
Pastor Greg Bylsma is the pastor of the Living Water Reformed Church of Brantford, Ontario (a member church of the URCNA). He is a graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary and was ordained to the Gospel ministry in 2005. After over 20 years in the ministry, he still loves his job and considers it an incredible honour to be able to teach others about the beauty of Jesus Christ. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.