READ Luke 10
Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan.

INSIGHT
The harsh reality of life is that we cannot help everyone in need. From the parable of the Good Samaritan, we can learn several things which help us evaluate when we should help. We are obligated to assist a person in need when he or she comes across our path in the normal course of life; he or she has a legitimate need; he or she cannot help himself or herself; and we have the ability to meet the need.

PRAYER
We praise the Lord because He is faithful to bring us to spiritual maturity:
God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you.
I thirst for you; my body faints for you
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.  
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory
(Psalm 63:1-2).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.  
Turn your face away from my sins
and blot out all my guilt (Psalm 51:7-9).

As you consider God’s mercy, confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

• Spiritual victory over the temptation you face
• Reformation in the United States and the world at large
• Your activities for the day
• Whatever else is on your heart

Offer these closing prayers to the Lord:
Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days
(Psalm 90:14).