Making People a Priority

I want to reflect on three lessons, among many, that we learn from Luke 9:

• Jesus gave priority to people. He left His rest for another time and met the needs of the crowd. By helping them in different ways, He served them and made them His priority.
• Jesus took responsibility for the needs of the crowd (Luke 9:13). To do this, He had to be involved, thoughtful, and very perceptive. Jesus listened, understood, and gave His attention to those people. Jesus had the ability to suffer with those who suffered, taking responsibility for their needs.
• Jesus believed that God could do miracles (Luke 9:16). By blessing and thanking God for the little food they had to feed the crowd, He showed that faith means trusting in the character and power of the Father, the one who is ready to provide for all His children. Thankfully, the disciples were willing to share and distribute.

So it should be with our personal ministry and with Compassion. By prioritizing children, we care for their needs and trust that God will multiply our resources as we strive to help release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. —Luke 9:10–11, NIV

Prayer: God, help us fulfill our ministry, so that children are a priority in our lives. Remind us that we are responsible for each one of their needs, and help us do everything with faith and gratitude in our hearts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Carlos Silva works as a Training Specialist for Compassion Brazil.

Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.