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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!