ODJ: cinderella man
People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (v.7). READ: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 As the United States slipped into the Great Depression of the 1930s, a broken right hand forced James Braddock out of professional boxing. Money was hard to come by, so Braddock worked menial jobs to make ends [...]
ODB: neighborly love
January 22, 2010
READ: Luke 10:29-37
You shall love the Lord your God . . . and your neighbor as yourself. —Luke 10:27
It would have been simpler just to buy a new hair dryer. But determined to save a buck, I decided to fix it myself. In order to loosen the screw that was buried deep in the handle, I took out the ultimate handyman’s helper—my pocket knife. As I put pressure on the knife to turn the screw, the blade folded back—on my finger.
I learned a lesson that day: I love myself. And I am urgent about meeting my needs. There was no thought of, “Well, I don’t really have time to stop the bleeding now. I’ll get to it later.” Also, there was a tenderness about how the need was met. I instructed my first-aid team (my wife and kids) to wash my finger gently and then to put the bandage on in a way that would avoid having the hairs on my finger pulled up when it was removed. My thoughts, words, and actions were driven by my love for myself.
To love “your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27) requires the same urgent kind of love. It’s a love that notices the need of another person and won’t rest until it’s been met. It’s a gentle, tender love that thinks and acts carefully. It’s the sacrificial and compassionate love that a nameless Samaritan had for a fallen traveler. It’s the kind of love God wants to share with your neighbors through you. — Joe Stowell
You cannot touch your neighbor’s heart with anything less than your own.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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