So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”
And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Luke 10:26-37 NKJV
We live in a time when knowing your neighbors - the ones on either side of your house - and knowing them well enough to lend or borrow a cup of sugar are seemingly things of the past. So, who IS my neighbor? What does it take to be one?
Mercy. Compassion. Born of God's love alive in us. When we see someone in need, are we moved with compassion to help meet their need? Do we dig down, find a way to contribute money or time? Will we inconvenience ourselves to help another?
By inconvenience, I'm not talking about taking food from our children's mouths. I mean would we forego one trip a month to Starbuck's and donate that $5 to an orphanage? Would we skip an hour or so of our latest streaming binge to visit someone who may need to know someone cares enough to come "out of their way"? Would we actually take the time to pray for the person on Facebook for which we just typed, "Praying"?
Or do we govern our lives by "my four and no more"? I believe Mr. Rogers (who was a minister) knew exactly what he was asking when he sang, "Won't you be my neighbor?"
[Jesus speaking], So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Prayer:
Father,
Forgive us for all the times we never noticed the opportunity to be a neighbor. Open our eyes and our hearts to see and respond to "go and do likewise." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Mercy. Compassion. Born of God's love alive in us. When we see someone in need, are we moved with compassion to help meet their need? Do we dig down, find a way to contribute money or time? Will we inconvenience ourselves to help another?
By inconvenience, I'm not talking about taking food from our children's mouths. I mean would we forego one trip a month to Starbuck's and donate that $5 to an orphanage? Would we skip an hour or so of our latest streaming binge to visit someone who may need to know someone cares enough to come "out of their way"? Would we actually take the time to pray for the person on Facebook for which we just typed, "Praying"?
Or do we govern our lives by "my four and no more"? I believe Mr. Rogers (who was a minister) knew exactly what he was asking when he sang, "Won't you be my neighbor?"
[Jesus speaking], So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”
And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Prayer:
Father,
Forgive us for all the times we never noticed the opportunity to be a neighbor. Open our eyes and our hearts to see and respond to "go and do likewise." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
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