Neighbor Groups: Elevate EducationSample

Increasing Our Love

Education unlocks opportunity and empowers people to live meaningful lives. So when people don’t have the same educational opportunities, we miss out on what they can offer.

But as we’ve mentioned on previous days, education isn’t just about advancement. It’s about advocating for others and using the knowledge, skills, and opportunities we’ve been given to serve others. 

Throughout Scripture, we’re challenged to seek wisdom and knowledge: 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 NIV

This biblical idea of knowledge and wisdom show us that the importance of education is far greater than knowing how to solve math equations—learning more helps us to love God and others more. 

So our knowledge isn’t supposed to feed our own egos. It’s supposed to grow our compassion for others. Look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 NIV: 

… knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.  

Regardless of what our educational experience has been, it’s important that we help others access quality education from a place of humility. It’s easy to become prideful or think that our successes are based solely on our own efforts. But imagine our lives without some of the opportunities we were offered—our stories may have turned out very differently. 

So let’s advocate for opportunities for others from a place of compassion—as Jesus did. 

In Mark, we’re told that Jesus was met by a huge crowd as He reached a new community. He then compares the crowd to sheep without a shepherd.

Shepherds brought stability, direction, and safety to their sheep, which had a natural tendency to wander. God doesn’t want us to wander aimlessly through life like sheep. Instead, He wants us to live with intentionality, following His guidance.

Jesus felt compassion for the crowd as they approached Him, and His response was to teach them. And He wasn’t teaching them skills or facts, He was teaching them about the Kingdom of God. 

The crowd stayed and learned from Him for hours, and then Jesus fed them. He met all their needs from a place of compassion.

As we partner with our neighbors to bring increased learning and knowledge to our community, our compassion and love for others should increase. And as it does, we’ll be participating in the Kingdom work Jesus asks us to pray for in the Lord’s Prayer. We’ll be exposed to new perspectives that will help us love better and avoid helping from a place of pride.

Pray: Father, I want to serve others from a place of love. Open my eyes and my heart to new perspectives as I learn from those around me. Increase my compassion. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Challenge: How can you make sure that when you learn, you increase your love, not just your knowledge?