Dear friends,
I’ve been thinking about how Jesus often placed compassion and faith above rigid rules, and how that lesson still matters—maybe even more—in the world we’re living in today.

When Jesus healed on the Sabbath or defended people whom the law condemned, He wasn’t trying to tear society apart. He wasn’t making a political statement. He was reminding us that rules are supposed to serve people—not crush them. His actions showed that laws have limits, but love does not.

Fast-forward two thousand years, and we’re living in a country—America—built on laws, policies, procedures, and systems. These things matter. They keep order, protect rights, and help millions of people live together. But no government, no matter how well-designed, can make the right call in every situation. Sometimes systems move too slowly. Sometimes they don’t see the individual caught in the middle. And sometimes a law may be technically correct while still failing to care for the human beings it affects.

That’s where we come in, and where Jesus’ example becomes so important.
In today’s world, we see people struggling with healthcare, immigration, homelessness, mental health, addiction, and countless other challenges. We see debates where the rules, procedures, and talking points take center stage—while the actual people behind those issues get pushed to the background. And regardless of where someone stands politically, almost everyone can agree that our systems don’t always know how to handle compassion.

But Jesus did.

He showed us that when compassion and rules collide, compassion should guide our hearts, even if the system isn’t built that way. We can respect the law while still recognizing its limits. We can participate in our government—vote, advocate, speak up—while still understanding that no law replaces the call to love our neighbor.

Choosing faith over rigid rule doesn’t mean ignoring laws or rejecting the government. It means remembering that laws are human-made tools, and tools need wisdom behind them. It means that in our everyday lives—how we treat immigrants, the poor, the sick, the outcast, the overlooked—we don’t wait for the government to tell us how to care. We do what Jesus did: put people first.

Faith reminds us that mercy is not a loophole. Compassion is not a weakness. Choosing love when the system falls short isn’t rebellion—it’s discipleship.

So as we navigate today’s world, let us be citizens who respect the law, but followers of Christ who never let the law become more important than the people the law was made to protect. Let us hold our government accountable with grace and courage, and let our lives reflect the same priority Jesus lived by: people over procedure, mercy over measurement, love over legalism.
May we meet our moment with hearts that see like He saw.

With peace and hope,

Steve