Hands and Feet - May 17th, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Oil, Wine, and a Donkey

A beaten man lay bleeding on the Jericho road. Priests and Levites passed by, clutching their robes. Then a Samaritan—hated, marginalized—stopped. He poured oil and wine on the wounds, lifted the man onto his donkey, and paid for his care. Compassion moved his hands when religion froze others’ feet. [45:23]

Jesus made the outsider the hero of this story. The Samaritan’s actions revealed God’s heart better than temple rituals. True neighbors don’t calculate worthiness—they interrupt their journey to heal brokenness.

You pass wounded people daily: the coworker hiding grief, the neighbor drowning in debt, the stranger trembling at the bus stop. Jesus says, “Go and do the same.” Will you be the one who stops when others rush? What wound have you been walking past this week?

“A Samaritan...saw the man and felt compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”
(Luke 10:33-34, NLT)

Prayer: Ask God to make your eyes notice one specific need today as clearly as the Samaritan saw blood on the road.

Challenge: Buy a $5 fast-food gift card and keep it in your wallet. Give it to the first person you see asking for help this week.

Day 2: Faith Without a Blanket

James confronts believers who say “Be warmed!” to shivering beggars but withhold coats. Empty blessings mock the cold. Faith without action isn’t just incomplete—it’s dead, rotting like an unplanted seed. [41:56]

God measures faith by hands that distribute, not lips that theologize. When the disciples tried to send crowds away hungry, Jesus said, “You give them something to eat.” He still says this when we dismiss others’ pain.

You’ve said “I’ll pray for you” to someone in crisis. Now ask: What tangible thing can I add to my prayers? A meal? A ride? A blanket? What good intention have you voiced repeatedly without ever acting on?

“What good is it if you claim to have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Suppose you see someone without clothes or food and say, ‘Stay warm! Eat well!’ but don’t give what’s needed. Faith without action is dead.”
(James 2:14-17, paraphrased from sermon)

Prayer: Confess three times you’ve spiritualized away practical help. Ask for courage to bridge one gap between your words and deeds.

Challenge: Find a spare blanket in your home. Donate it to a shelter by Friday—text a friend now to hold you accountable.

Day 3: The Least of These Meals

At the final judgment, nations are divided by who fed Jesus when He hungered. The righteous protest, “When did we see You starving?” He replies, “When you fed the overlooked single mom, the addict, the inmate.” [48:01]

Jesus so identifies with the hurting that serving them is serving Him. Every soup kitchen meal, prison visit, and foster care placement is communion with Christ. The King receives these acts as worship.

Your “least of these” might be the elderly neighbor eating TV dinners alone or the refugee family at the grocery store. Who have you disqualified as “too messy” to be Jesus in disguise? When did you last share a table with someone society ignores?

“I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home... Whenever you did this for the overlooked, you did it for Me.”
(Matthew 25:35-40, paraphrased from sermon)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for someone who served you when you felt invisible. Ask to see His face in one unlikely person today.

Challenge: Invite someone lonely (a widow, international student, etc.) to share a meal at your home within the next 14 days.

Day 4: Love That Hands Over Silver

The Samaritan didn’t just bandage wounds—he gave two days’ wages to the innkeeper. Early Christians sold property to feed orphans. John warns that hoarding resources while others starve proves God’s love isn’t in us. [44:09]

Love calculates costs. The Samaritan knew helping might mean returning to pay more. Jesus spent His life like coins for our ransom. Real compassion risks inconvenience and embraces ongoing responsibility.

You budget for vacations and retirement. Do you budget for the homeless veteran or the single-parent family? What percentage of your “silver” actively serves Jesus in the least of these?

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother in need but shows no compassion, how can God’s love be in them? Dear children, let’s love not with words but with actions and truth.”
(1 John 3:16-18, paraphrased from sermon)

Prayer: List three non-essential expenses from last month. Ask God how to redirect one toward serving “the least” next month.

Challenge: Give $20 anonymously to someone struggling financially—no tax receipt, no social media post.

Day 5: Christ’s Body in the Trenches

Paul says we’re Christ’s body—His hands healing through ours, His feet pursuing the lost through ours. A severed hand can’t serve. Yet many Christians disconnect, letting the body atrophy while the world bleeds. [51:18]

Jesus works through ordinary people—not platforms. The Samaritan didn’t preach a sermon; he bandaged wounds and paid bills. Your ordinary acts (meals, rides, listening) become divine when done in His name.

What’s your default excuse for inaction? “I’m not trained”? The Samaritan wasn’t a medic. “Too busy”? He rerouted his journey. What simple step could you take this week to function as Christ’s body?

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”
(1 Corinthians 12:27, NLT)

Prayer: Name one part of your body (hands, ears, etc.). Ask God to use it specifically tomorrow to express Christ’s love.

Challenge: Commit to one monthly outreach (homeless ministry, prison visits, etc.) for the next three months. Text the organizer today.

Sermon Summary

The call to be the hands and feet of Jesus names the ache of being used by people and flips it toward a better use, being used by God. The contrast between self-serving use and Spirit-led service exposes how often people cry out in a storm and then shelve God when the skies clear. The invitation to be used by God carries different fruit, not resentment but peace, not exhaustion but purpose.

Jesus’s mission continues through his church. The church is not a building; the church is people carrying God’s presence into everyday life. The charge sounds simple and costly at once: when someone is hurting, the church shows up; when someone is hungry, the church responds; when someone is broken, the church offers hope. Servanthood, not spotlight, defines greatness.

Mark 10’s “among you it will be different” sets the pattern. The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, so disciples cannot claim to follow Jesus while refusing to serve others. Servanthood looks ordinary and hidden, like holding someone who is crying, cooking a meal, praying in a hospital, or just listening. Not every act of ministry happens behind a pulpit; much of it lives outside these four walls.

Faith moves. James 2 refuses lip-service faith and calls deeds the necessary evidence. The world is watching. Misrepresentation does not just stain a name; it slanders the God that name bears. First John 3 insists that real love looks like Jesus giving his life, so belonging to the truth shows up in concrete compassion.

The Samaritan becomes the hands and feet of compassion by stopping, soothing, carrying, paying, and staying involved. Jesus’s “go and do the same” pushes past religious busyness into mercy. Matthew 25 heightens the stakes. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.” Jesus identifies himself with the hurting, which changes everything about how service is seen.

Pure and genuine religion, James 1 says, cares for the vulnerable and refuses worldliness. The body of Christ means Jesus continues his work through his people. Every believer has a purpose; every role matters. The enemy loves disconnected, distracted, inactive Christians, but the Lord wants a church that moves, loves deeply, serves faithfully, gives generously, and reaches the hurting. No title is required, only a willing heart. Let good deeds shine so people praise the Father. Everyone wants to be the hands and feet of Jesus until it gets hard, until the nails go through. Commitment stays when comfort leaves. The prayer is simple and dangerous: Lord, use my hands, my feet, my voice, my life.

Key Takeaways

1. Servanthood makes greatness look different True greatness descends, not ascends. Authority in Jesus’s kingdom does not lord over; it stoops to wash feet. If the Son of Man came to serve, then leadership without service is a contradiction. Among Jesus’s people, it really must be different. [39:48]
2. Faith moves from words to deeds Confession without compassion is dead weight. Real trust in Christ turns into real action for neighbors, especially when needs are obvious and inconvenient. Orthodoxy that never leaves the mouth will rot; obedience that moves the hands will live. [41:56]
3. Jesus identifies with the least Service to the unseen is service to the King. That re-frames interruptions as invitations and small acts as sacred offerings. If Christ meets his people in the hungry, the sick, the stranger, then love for Jesus looks like showing up for them. [48:53]
4. The body carries Christ’s work Christ’s compassion keeps moving through ordinary members with ordinary gifts. No part is expendable, and no role is too small when Jesus is the life in the body. Disconnection chokes the flow; willing hearts make room for miracles. [50:58]
5. Sacrifice tests real commitment Desire says, use me; discipleship says, even when it hurts. Love keeps steady when comfort slips and plans get interrupted. The nails are not a metaphor to avoid; they are the cost of love that stays. [55:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[33:11] - Graduates acknowledged, hearts prepared
[34:45] - Feeling used, then using God
[36:37] - Being used by God brings peace
[37:15] - Hands and feet of Jesus
[39:29] - Among you it will be different
[41:30] - Faith moves into action
[44:49] - The Samaritan stops and stays
[47:24] - Least of these, serving the King
[49:44] - Pure religion, uncorrupted compassion
[50:58] - Christ’s body, every part matters
[52:22] - Resist passivity, shine your deeds
[54:23] - Pray, Lord use my life
[56:36] - Immediate outreach invitation
[59:14] - Closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Mark 10:42-45 (ESV)
“And Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”

Matthew 25:35-40 (ESV)
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me… Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

James 2:14-17 (ESV)
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Observation Questions

In Mark 10:42-45, how does Jesus redefine greatness compared to worldly standards?
According to Matthew 25:35-40, what specific actions does Jesus connect to serving Him directly?
What example does James 2:14-17 use to illustrate the relationship between faith and deeds?
The sermon mentions that “the Samaritan became the hands and feet of compassion” by stopping, soothing, and staying involved ([45:56]). How does this story contrast with the actions of the religious leaders in the parable?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus uses the phrase “the least of these” in Matthew 25 to describe those who reflect His presence? What does this reveal about His priorities?
James 2 argues that faith without works is “dead.” How does this challenge common assumptions about what it means to have genuine faith?
The sermon states, “Service to the unseen is service to the King” ([48:53]). How does this idea reshape our perspective on everyday acts of kindness?
In Mark 10, Jesus contrasts worldly authority with servant leadership. Why might this have been especially radical for His disciples to hear at the time?

Application Questions

What is one practical way you can serve someone in your life this week that feels “ordinary and hidden,” like holding someone who is crying or cooking a meal ([40:41])?
When have you hesitated to help someone because it felt inconvenient or uncomfortable? How might Matthew 25:35-40 change your response next time?
The sermon warns against “religious busyness” that neglects mercy ([46:13]). Where do you see yourself prioritizing routines or rituals over tangible compassion?
Jesus identifies with the hungry, sick, and lonely. Who in your community is often overlooked, and how could you intentionally show up for them?
The outreach invitation ([56:36]) required sacrificing comfort. What is one area where God might be calling you to “stay involved” even when it costs you time or energy?
Reflect on a time when you felt “used” by others. How could surrendering that hurt to God help you serve others with greater freedom and purpose ([36:37])?
James 1:27 ties “pure religion” to caring for the vulnerable. What is one step you could take to advocate for or support a marginalized group in your city?

Sermon Clips

Now let's take that one step further. The last time we used God, and then we put him up on the shelf after. The last time we got on our knees and cried our little hearts out. And when the storm was over, we forgot or put aside of the one who calmed the the sea. Has that ever happened? Are we always the victim and never the the the perpetrator? Are we always the offend the offended and never the offender? Perhaps. But there's a higher purpose, a completely different kind of use or use that brings true life and joy, being used by God. [00:35:40] (57 seconds)

The church is not just a building people visit. The church is people who carry the presence of god into everyday life. When someone is hurting, we should be there. When someone is hungry, we should respond. When someone is broken, we should offer hope. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Jesus was teaching us something powerful. True greatness is found in serving others. When the world tells us to promote ourselves, to be first, to make people notice us, Jesus calls us to serve, to love, to be humble. [00:38:27] (53 seconds)

So faith is more than just words. Faith moves. Anyone can say that they care, but Jesus calls us to demonstrate, to give love. People are not only listening to us, they're watching us, sometimes to judge us, but more importantly, to judge our god. So those moments where we misrepresent the lord, it's those moments where our god gets judged, where they they look at our god, and it's like, how could I follow them? How could I follow their god when this is this is how they act? This is what they reflect. [00:42:14] (54 seconds)

If Jesus served people, then we cannot claim to follow him while refusing to serve others. Being the hands and feet of Jesus means serving when nobody notices, helping when it's inconvenient, loving difficult people, giving without expecting anything back. Sometimes ministry looks like just holding someone while they cry, cooking a meal for hurting people. You guys heard of the luncheons that they're having. Right? It's every other Friday as well, right, that that you guys have the the well. Step into action, folks. [00:40:12] (55 seconds)

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Hands and Feet - May 17th, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Oil, Wine, and a Donkey

Day 2: Faith Without a Blanket

Day 3: The Least of These Meals

Day 4: Love That Hands Over Silver

Day 5: Christ’s Body in the Trenches

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Hands and Feet - May 17th, 2026

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