“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”–Luke 10:38–40

In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom told the story of asking her father about something he didn’t think she was old enough to understand. She wrote: “He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case off the floor and set it on the floor. ‘Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?’ he said. I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning. ‘It’s too heavy,’ I said. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘and it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.’”

Many times the burdens that we carry are self-imposed. We find ourselves weighed down, not because of the duties and obligations we have, but because we have taken on things we should not. A prime example of this kind of burden is worry. But whatever the source of our burdens, we are invited to lay them down at Jesus’ feet and stop carrying the weight. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:29). Do not allow yourself to be encumbered by burdens you were never meant to carry.(Daily in the Word)

“And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”–Luke 10:35–37

Ira Sankey, D. L. Moody’s great song leader, told the story of a British actress who was saved in a most unusual way. As she walked down the street one day, she heard a group singing in preparation for a Bible study. The song stuck in her mind and her heart, and she finally went and got a hymn book that had the song in it and sang it over and over until she had learned it by heart. In just a few days she had given her heart to Christ. She no longer had any desire for her former profession, but at the urging of the theater manager, she agreed to take the stage one more time. But rather than singing one of the popular songs of the day, she began singing the hymn that had been instrumental in drawing her to Jesus: “Depth of mercy can there be, Mercy still reserved for me?”

Every one of us who are saved have been the recipients of God’s mercy. In turn, He commands us to show mercy toward others—but often that is a very difficult command to keep. Even as we rejoice in our own escape from God’s wrath, we tend to want to see others get what is coming to them. But James warns us, “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment” (James 2:13). The merciful heart rests on the foundation of undeserved forgiveness. We did not receive the mercy of God solely for ourselves, but so that we could share it with others.(Daily in the Word)

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.“.–Psalm 127:3

Someone said, “A baby is a small member of the home that makes love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, the bankroll smaller, the home happier, the clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.” Children are a blessing, not a burden. There is joy in children, but children need our love and attention now more than ever.

If there’s a child in your life—a son or daughter, a grandchild, a niece or nephew, a pupil or student—let them see Christ in you. They need to see you reading your Bible, praying, memorizing and quoting Scripture, and offering thanks before your meals. They need patience modeled for them, and joy. If possible, they need genuine facetime with you, not just the smartphone version. They need to learn to brush their teeth, read their Bibles, say their prayers, make their beds, and pick up their things. They need to know that church attendance is important, and that tithing is an aspect of worship and stewardship.

God places children in our lives so we can lead them to Him. Being a parent isn’t just a job—it’s a joy!

If you want to see a future preacher, president, leader, missionary, or hero, just sign up to work in the church nursery. When God gives us children, He gives us the privilege of nurturing the future.–David Jeremiah

“And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.”–Luke 10:30–32

In March of 1964, a young woman named Kitty Genovese was attacked on her way home from work in New York City. Though many people saw or heard at least part of the attack (various news reports and investigations put the number between thirty-six and forty-nine), no one intervened, and only a few people called the police. The attack was carried out over the space of half an hour, and it is quite likely that Genovese’s death could have been prevented if only someone had been willing to intervene. But no one was willing to do what it took to save her life. One of the bystanders even admitted to a reporter, “I didn’t want to get involved.”

All around us there are people who are facing far worse than physical death. The lost have no hope of salvation unless someone loves and cares for them enough to reach out to them with the gospel. Yet too often, like the priest and the Levite in the parable Jesus told, those who should be the first to help find reasons not to do so. We are not told what motivated those two men to cross to the other side of the road. Perhaps they feared for their safety, or perhaps they simply didn’t want to get their hands dirty. But whatever the case, they failed to step up and answer the challenge of helping someone in desperate need.(Daily in the Word)

“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.”–Phil. 3:7

The true Christian, though he is in revolt against the world’s efforts to brainwash him, is no mere rebel for rebellion’s sake. He dissents from the world because he knows that it cannot make good on its promises. He has tasted the pleasures of society and he knows that they leave a bitter taste; and he has found that blessing of the Lord of which the wise man speaks, which maketh rich and addeth no sorrow with it.

And the Christian is not left without a “norm” to which he seeks to become adjusted. The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the norm, the ideally perfect model, and the worshiping soul yearns to be like Him. Indeed the whole drive behind the Christian life is this longing to be conformed to the image of Christ. The energy with which the believing man revolts against conformity to the image of unregenerate society will be in exact proportion to the intensity of his yearning to be like Christ.

The classic expression of this burning desire to be Christlike is, of course, Paul’s personal testimony in his letter to the Philippian Christians which begins, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ,” and ends with the fervent declaration, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” ( Philippians 3:14).–A W Tozer