Christianity Oasis Forum

[Lani]

Luke 10:26-37
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.


Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" [The lawyer] said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."Luke 19:36-37


At an early age, I began to spend Saturdays working as a janitor in my father's business. Once when I was about 12, my father and I left work late in the afternoon, tired and eager to go home. On our way to the car, we noticed an elderly man across the street slip on some ice and fall. Without hesitation, my father led me across the street, where we helped the man to his feet. He was conscious but bleeding from some scrapes ad a cut on his nose. We helped him back to his small apartment and spent about an hour with him, cleaning his face and bandaging his nose. We listened as he spoke of the loneliness and despair in his life. Now in my 50s, I often reflect on this occasion and how special it made me feel to comfort someone in pain.

God calls us to take advantage of opportunities to show love and compassion to those in need. Much of what I learned from my father centered on hard work and disciplined pursuit of our goals. But that day he taught me the importance of detouring from our plans and reaching out to a person in need.



Prayer: Dear God, break through the din of our routines so that we may hear the cry of those who are struggling and find ways to extend to them your love and friendship. Amen.

Prayer Focus of Day:Children who need Better Examples

Thought for the Day: The most important task God has for us today may not be on our to-do list.

Story shared by: J Green (MN)
Source: Upper Room Daily Devotional 7/23/11