eKidz Devotional: All About InfluenceSample

It’s pretty easy to love the people who love us. But what about the neighbor who calls you names, or the kid in your class who always tattles on everyone… Can you still love them?

In today’s Bible story, Jesus answered a question about who we should show love to. He told a story about a Jewish man who had been robbed, beaten, and left on the side of the road. The man obviously needed help, but two different people — both of whom were leaders in the Jewish church — walked past without stopping to help him. When someone finally did stop for the man, it wasn’t who he would’ve expected. 

You see, the Jews and the Samaritans didn’t get along. The Samaritans refused to follow the rules that were very important to the Jews, so the Jews wouldn’t even talk to them. But then the one person who stopped and cared for the hurting man was a Samaritan. The Jewish man’s enemy showed love to him even when his own people didn’t! Jesus told this story to teach people the importance of showing love to everyone, even people we might not like.

Fwizz and the TreeRunner team have dealt with a hateful enemy throughout the Gunga Games, and in the final episode, Snark the HardClaw found himself in some bad situations. First Snark was attacked by a SuperTooth, and later an entire crowd began throwing tomatoes at him. The TreeRunner team could have left him to suffer, but Fwizz rescued Snark from the SuperTooth and then stood up for her enemy when no one else would. Check out this clip to hear what she did:

Snark was mean and selfish, and everyone else thought he deserved whatever bad things might happen to him. But Fwizz chose to have a positive influence on her team by showing them what it looked like to love their enemy. Fwizz saved Snark’s life and then stood between him and the angry crowd, and she was honored by the king because of her choices. She consistently influenced others to do what was good.

Ask yourself: Why does Jesus’ example of loving our enemies change how you treat others? Who can you treat differently this week because of Jesus’ example?

Challenge yourself: Pray for someone. If there’s someone in your life who has been treating you wrongly, it’s not going to feel easy to love them, but when we pray for somebody, God can change our hearts toward them and their hearts toward us! We can pray for people who aren’t our enemies, too. We can pray for our friends and family or anyone we know who might be having a hard time right now. Write down one person’s name on a sticky note and then put it somewhere you’ll see every day so you remember to pray for that person consistently.

Pray: God, I need Your help to love people better — especially people I don’t get along with. Help me show love to everyone, even when I don’t feel like they deserve it. I want to love people the way You do, and I want to influence others to be more like You, too. In Jesus’ name, amen.