Coffee with Compassion - All Our Daily Bread Daily Devotionals for 2025

Bible in a Year : Psalms 16-17, Acts 20:1-16

I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.
Mark 8:2

Today's Scripture & Insight : Mark 8:1-10

When Pam tragically lost her sixteen-year-old son in a car crash, she invited family and friends to the funeral home for a visitation. On that freezing cold December evening, her guests came in with cups of coffee, telling of a mysterious man called Matthew who was giving them out for free. Later she tracked him down to thank him. Not only had he provided the people with much-needed warmth and refreshment, but at a dark time he’d reminded them of good in the world. “I felt so bad for them,” Matthew explained. “I wanted to do something, but all I could do was make coffee, so I made coffee.”

Matthew’s compassion followed by practical action is the same pattern Jesus shows us in the feeding of the four thousand. The story is similar to the earlier feeding of the five thousand, because a few loaves and fish are multiplied to feed the many (Mark 8:5–10). This time, though, the passage gives us an insight into Jesus’ motivation: “I have compassion on these people . . . If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way” (vv. 2–3).

The heart of God is always to care about our spiritual needs and our material needs. We can pray boldly for God to look after us, knowing Jesus loves us. And we can rejoice, too, that even small acts driven by God’s compassion can have a great impact.

By: Tanya Marlow

Reflect & Pray
Who is God giving you compassion for at the moment? What small action might God be prompting you to take?

Lord of compassion, thank You for caring about us holistically. I bring to You today my thirsty soul, my concerns, my practical needs.