[Bible Trek: Luke] What Is God’s Kingdom Like?Sample

Be nice to everyone

Regardless of whether other people are kind to you, be kind to them. Do not support abuse of others. The love that you show to others shows the love of God that is in you.

Read the Bible

Before Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan, a man asks him two very important questions: “What must I do to have eternal life?” and, “Who are my neighbors?” Jesus answers in a surprising way— not what the man expects to hear! In Jesus’s day, the Jews and the Samaritans were not friends, even though they lived right next to each other. So it was surprising that Jesus made a Samaritan the hero in his story about a stranger who helped a wounded Jewish man.

Think about it

Jesus shows us in this story that God loves everyone. When the Bible says, “Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself,” it means we are to love even those who are different from us, those we don’t like very much, and those who are difficult to love, even if it costs us something! We can love others the way God loves us!

Do something about it

1. Write down today’s date and the names of two people in your life that you find it hard to love. You could use your “FaithBook” for this. We mentioned in the first devotional plan of this series, that it would be good for you to have a “FaithBook” where you could write important things. This is one of those things that you can write there.
2. Begin to pray for these people every day and ask God to help you love them. Look for ways to be kind to them. 
3. Watch to see what God does! 
4. As soon as you see a change in your heart toward these people, write that date down too, and remember to thank God for helping you to love them!

Talk to God

“God, help me to love others the way you love me. Help me to see those around me who need to feel your love through me!”