“You shall
love...your neighbor as yourself."
Luke 10:27
The parable of the Good Samaritan is one
of the most meaningful stories Jesus ever told. It so clearly reveals to
us the attitude of the Christian toward those who are in need.
The Christian is one who cares. When the
Samaritan saw the man beaten and lying in the ditch, "he had compassion
on him." Compassion is a beautiful and strong word. It
goes beyond mere pity. Pity means to feel for someone. It
shakes its head and says, "That is too bad; poor old chap."
Compassion means to feel with the
other person. It says, "It's bad, and so bad I must do something
about it. I know how I would feel if I were in this person's place."
When one meets the Lord Jesus Christ, he becomes sensitized to the sorrows,
sufferings and sins of others. He begins to deeply care.
The Christian is also one who shares.
The Samaritan's attitude was different from that of the robber and the
priest. The robber's attitude was, "What's yours is mine.
I'll take it." The attitude of the priest (and the Levite) was, "What's
mine is mine, I'll keep it." But the Samaritan said, "What's
mine is yours. I'll share it." So he shared all that he
had with the wounded traveler – his time, his energy, his wine, his donkey, and
his money. The Christian looks upon
himself not as the owner but the steward
of all his possessions, and is willing to use them for the good of
others.
The Christian is also one who dares.
The Samaritan was willing to take certain risks in order to help the stricken
man lying along the roadside. He dared to upset his travel schedule, to
expose himself to the dangers of the highway, and to disregard the racial
prejudices and taunts of his fellow Samaritans. Likewise, in our efforts
to help others, we may often have to exhibit a spirit of daring and cut across
the customs, traditions, prejudices, and selfishness of our day.
Thought
for the day: Love needs demonstration, not
definition.
John T. Seamands
Love is the filling from one’s own,
another’s cup.
Love is a daily laying down and
taking up;
A choosing of the stony path through
each new day
That other feet may tread, with
ease, a smoother way.