Reading: Matthew 9:10-13 -- Jesus shares a meal with tax collectors and sinners, declaring that he came for those who need a physician, not those who consider themselves well.

Devotional: Jesus did not love people from a comfortable distance. He sat down at the table with them. He shared meals with the people that polite society had written off. He became close friends with Matthew, a tax collector despised by his own community. The call to love is not a call to love people who are easy to love -- it is a call to love the ones who are the hardest. The ones who have hurt you. The ones who look different, live differently, or believe differently. Loving difficult people is not weakness. It is one of the clearest reflections of what it means to follow Jesus.

Personal Reflection: Who is the most difficult person in your life to love right now? What is one honest reason why loving them feels hard?

Practical Application: Pray specifically for that difficult person by name today. Ask God to shift your perspective toward them and reveal one way you can show them genuine care this week.