Read Luke 10:25-37
"And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him" (v. 34).
Only for love.
Agnes Bojaxhiu, known worldwide as Mother Teresa, was not of my belief; it is her attitude and actions I consider here. She spent most of her life in the slums of Calcutta, India, among the world's worst. She worked among the poor and sick, unclean though they might be. She was their helper who fed and sheltered them, doing all she could and directing others in that work. A reporter watching her work on a bad case said, "I wouldn't do what you do for a million dollars!" She replied, "Neither would I!" It was for love of the poor and ill.
In our scripture portion, a lawyer was speaking to Jesus. Justifying himself, he asked, "Who is my neighbor?" No one ever received a better answer: It was the account of the Good Samaritan. The Jews unjustly hated Samaritans. You will remember that the wounded man was bypassed by a priest and a Levite. After telling this wonderful story, Jesus asked, "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?" The lawyer did not want to answer, but he made the right choice. Jesus then replied, "Go and do thou likewise." (Joel E. Miller)

The lawyer asked a question,
An important question indeed
But just who is my neighbor?
That's anyone having a need
- Joel E. Miller

Read 1 Corinthians 10:23-33
"Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?" (v. 29)
We were in Beginning Theology class. Our godly professor was discussing attitude issues from a decidedly biblical perspective. Eloquently yet simply he talked about how attitudes influence others for good or for evil. In the course of his discussion, he described a certain attitude by saying, "It stinks."
An international student quickly remonstrated. "You said 'stinks.' In my country that is a swear word. Christians don't say that!"
Just as quickly our professor responded. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would be offensive. I won't say it again." I spent many more college hours in that professor's classroom and do not recall him repeating that word again.
Was my theology professor in bondage to what others thought? Was he afraid to take a strong position for fear he would hurt someone? The answer is no on both counts. The professor was simply following biblical teaching about not offending a weaker brother or sister.
Is it wrong to say "stinks"? No. Not in most circumstances. But it is wrong to offend your brother. Deleting a word from your vocabulary or avoiding going somewhere that might cause a weaker fellow Christian to stumble or in countless other ways being considerate of others is the Christian way of living. (MDA)
Be considerate.
This devotional is the Sunday, November 17, entry of the September through November 2013 edition of Opening the Word. Order your copy today!

Read Matthew 5:20-24
"Leave there thy gift before the altar; and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift" (v. 24).
Abraham Lincoln said his heart had "no room for the memory of a wrong." Forgiveness is not complete until the severed friendship is mended. The new weld of forgiveness should result in a deeper, strong union than had existed before. Forgiveness is acceptance with no exemption.
Most of the time forgiveness is not instantaneous; it takes time, work, will, and perseverance. To forgive someone, you must do you best to understand the other person, value others, express love for others, work toward recovery of the relationship, remember forgiveness is not just a single transaction, restore the attitude of love, release the painful past, reconstruct the relationship, reopen the future, and reaffirm the relationship. This takes homework, marketplace work, church work, family work. It cannot all happen at the altar. Forgiveness is costly but it pays; it helps us to be better instead of bitter. May God bless you as you walk the journey from the altar and travel the humble road adjusting your will, attitude, and spirit to the point that the experience will involve no longer walking alone. Now two walk together in love and harmony experiencing the bonds of Christ. (Walter Hedstrom)
The secret is God working within you and you working it out in life.
This devotional is taken from the Friday, November 8, 2013 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy today!

Read Luke 21:17-20
"In your patience possess ye your souls." (v. 19).
The Christian school was hosting the annual field day. One youngster had won every race he entered. His team had won the relays, sometimes with him coming from behind on the last leg of the race. Now it was time for the mile run. Runners lined up for the starting gun. At the signal, some runners immediately jumped out to a quick lead. This runner shrugged, set his pace, and ran. A significant distance behind by half way through the first lap, he held his pace. Keeping the pace he had set for himself, he was in the lead by the end of the second lap, and increased the lead on the third. The fourth and final lap was a sprint for him, and he finished nearly half a lap ahead of his closest competitor.
The word patience in today's verse suggests the idea of cheerful endurance. The idea of the passage is that if we maintain our relationship with God, we win, even if death is a consequence of our faith. The death of Christians is valuable in God's sight because death is the door through which His followers enter heaven. Enduring hardship in this life is worthwhile because we are going where hardship never comes. (Mark Avery)
Be faithful. Endure to win.
This devotional is the Monday, October 28 entry of the September through November 2013 edition of Opening the Word. Order your copy today!

Read Nehemiah 4:1-16
"So built we the wall: and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work" (v. 6).
When building a chimney on our house, my husband was assisting as an untrained apprentice. He was mostly handing bricks and things up to the mason. Because of the need to work quickly for the mortar to be right, work and cooperation of a team was required.
Nehemiah's mission, bathed in prayer, was to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. In spite of ridicule (2:19), mockery (4:1), and threatened violence (ch. 4), the Jews were determined. They worked in cooperative groups on each section of the wall (ch. 2). They lodged within the walls ready for defense and kept their weapons with them. The workers prayed together, watched together against attack, and continued to work together to complete the entire wall.
Today, we need to work together to meet the goals of the church. There is something for every Christian to do. Have a mind to work. Look for something among the ministries of your local congregation that you are capable of helping with. Pray. Volunteer. (Shirley Craghead)

Every task, however simple, sets the soul that does it free;
Every deed of love and kindness done to man is done to Thee.

This devotional is from Monday, October 21, of Opening the Word's Sep - Nov 2013 edition. Order your copy today!

Read Romans 12:6-13
"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another" (v. 10).
It was the quarterly meeting of the ministerially challenged.
"Hi, my name is Tina, and I sure wish I could play the piano and sing like Sister Smith at my church. I just think I could really minister to people if I only had her talent." Tina swallowed a lump in her throat and sat down, wringing a tissue in her hand.
"My name is Bob, and all I have a talent for is fixing cars. I sure can't preach like our pastor. I don't know what to do." Bob sighed, folded his grease-stained hands, and sat down.
"Um, hi. My name is ... oh, I'm so shy; I'm just no good at public speaking. Why couldn't God have given me some talent useful for ministry?" And with that, the nameless young lady fled the room.
It can be easy to see others' talents and wish we were different. Maybe your pastor's wife is a superb organizer, or maybe your brother is great with kids. And you are just you.
The good news is that the Bible does not give a list of talents and abilities you have to have to serve God. In fact, Romans 12 basically says to find out what you are good at and to do that well. Then it says to love sincerely. Maybe sometimes we get things turned around. If we sincerely show love to others in the best way we know how, we will be ministering, using the talents God gave us. (Ashlee Englund)
Loving others is a ministry all of us can have.
This devotional is the October 18, 2013 reading from Opening the Word. Order your copy today!

Read Philippians 2:1-11
"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (v. 7).
Dr. J. F. Cowan told the story of a small religious college that was experiencing financial difficulties. On one occasion a wealthy businessman visited the campus and found a white-haired man in work clothes painting a wall. He asked where and when he might see the school's president. The caretaker pointed to a white house nearby, saying that he could find the president there at noon.
Promptly at noon the visitor knocked on the cottage door and was admitted by the painter he had seen earlier, now dressed quite differently. After a cordial visit and inquiries about the school's needs, the businessman departed with a statement that he would be in touch. A few days later the school received a letter with a $50,000 check. The president's humility had touched the man's heart.
Christ made Himself of no reputation, and became one of us, yet never lowered Himself to our level. He knew the work and language of the farmer and seed sower, the scribes, lawyers, and Pharisees, the fisherman, the mother and her children. He could relate to the beggars, cripples, lepers, prostitutes, and the thief, robber, Samaritan, Greek, or Israelite. (RLC)
Jesus accepted anyone who came to Him, but sent them away new men and women.
This devotional was originally published in the September, October, November 2013 edition of Opening the Word. Order your copy today!

Read 1 Chronicles 29:1-9
"Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy" (v. 9).
It happened during the offertory. Many years ago during a revival meeting, as the offering was being received, suddenly a man started shouting and even ran the aisle! It was, of course, completely unexpected and rather startling. Afterwards, he testified that the Lord had prompted him to put twenty dollars into the offering. It was all that he had, and, for a few moments, he struggled with this. Then he resolved to obey the divine directive. As the offering plate was passed, he put the twenty dollars in, and God immediately poured out a joyous blessing on this obedient brother.
Obviously, not everyone who gives to God always receives such an instantaneous blessing, but what a reminder that God desires those who give anything to Him to do so gladly, not grudgingly. God is always concerned not just with what we do but also with why we do what we do. The spirit in which it is done, whether it be worshipping, witnessing, or stewardship is important. We have the stark contrast presented in the New Testament between those who made a spectacle of their sizable contributions and the widow who quietly gave all that she had. The first principle of stewardship is simply that it all belongs to God and, inasmuch as He pours out blessings upon us, we give not as drudgery but as a delight. (MRW)
Do you give with a scowl or with a smile?

This devotional was taken from Monday, September 30, 2013, of the Opening the Word, September, October, November 2013. Order your copy!

www.audio-luci-store.it / Foter / CC BY

Read Deuteronomy 11:22-28

"A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day" (v. 27).

Some children think the only reason to behave well for the teacher is that there might be some candy to be had at the end of the day. This can make it easier for the teacher to keep them in line. "Now remember, you must sit quietly during the lesson or you cannot have any candy when it is time to go home." The candy seems to be either a blessing or a curse depending entirely on the actions and attitudes of the children.
The promise of blessings and curses that come through our obedience or defiance is more than just a bribe to get us to behave as God would have us to behave. God has ordered this world. Just as rebelling against the laws of physics brings harm from a crash, defying God's commands will cause pain. God knows how He designed this world to work, and even though the sin of mankind has altered life from its perfect way, there is still room for happiness and contentment in our world. The only way to find these joys is by following God's commands. (Michelle D Avery)

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share
But our toil He doth richly repay.
Not a grief nor a loss, not a frown nor a cross
But is blest if we trust and obey
- John H Sammis

Victory is only available God's way.

This devotional was taken from Monday, September 9, 2013, of the Opening the Word, September, October, November 2013. Order your copy!