October 5

But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion. — Luke 10:33 BSB

“O Lord, advertise Your love through us!” prayed an earnest Christian. A young believer, when asked if she loved Jesus, was moved to tears, thinking, “What a dim light mine must be if others are not sure that I love Jesus!” A Christian writer once said that the deadliest heresy is to be unloving.

God advertised His love through the good Samaritan. No one needed to ask him if he loved God. His actions spoke for themselves—he wasn’t guilty of the heresy of being unloving. His compassion was genuine, and he didn’t stop at words of pity. He took practical action, binding up the wounded man’s injuries, stopping the bleeding, and taking him to a safe shelter. He didn’t abandon him after dropping him off at the inn; he continued to care for him, even making provisions for his ongoing care.

The good Samaritan is Christ’s picture of what Christian love should look like in every disciple. We are called not only to speak words of love but also to live out our love through compassionate and practical actions, following the example of the good Samaritan.