Offering Genuine Help to Those in Need
ICS Daily Devotions

Luke 10:30 (NKJV) Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

While we may not meet people who are injured in an accident or robbery, we are surrounded by people who are going through different kinds of suffering every day. Since we live in a broken world, we will all go through challenges, conflicts or pain in our lives—nobody is spared. Therefore, when someone is experiencing difficulties, we should not be judgemental, but be gracious, kind and gentle to them instead.

We probably know of people who have been made redundant, are going through depression, a chronic or terminal illness, divorce, or the loss of a loved one. These people are left to suffer on their own and are just like the victim in the Good Samaritan. Though it may seem that some of these people would rather be left alone, it doesn’t mean they don’t need help; it could be because they are too shy to reach out or share their struggles with anyone. We should pray for these people and reach out to them at the right time, and meanwhile reach out to those who are open to a listening ear.

We should strive to understand by listening, be present by spending time with them, and refrain from giving advice or over-process the matter. We need to remember that most of us are not professionals and very often we are in no position to comment or advise someone where professional help is needed.

Something that many people are suffering from is poor self-image. It is an emotional baggage that needs to be dealt with before it escalates into other issues. Many of us have developed our identities based on our sense of self-worth, which in turn is based on our achievements. As we grow in life, we have different sets of cheerleaders to stoke our egos, such as parents, friends on social media and bosses, and we take pride in our identity when we outperform others, but this is how we identify ourselves in the old man. Because we live in a broken and fallen world, people will only cheer for us when we do well because the world operates on conditional love. We should help people recognise that their self-worth is in Christ and not of this world.

Romans 12:15 (NKJV) Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

We will be able to truly care for those who are suffering if we can empathise with them. That’s what it means to weep with those who weep and rejoice with them when they experience a breakthrough.

Sermon Series: Keep the Peace