Giving..

I was struck hard this morning while doing one of my Bible studies on loving your neighbor.  
Luke 10:25-37 tells the story of the good Samaritan:

 ²⁵ Then an expert on the law stood up to test Jesus, saying, "Teacher, what must I do to get life forever?"

 ²⁶ Jesus said, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"

 ²⁷ The man answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind."^[g] Also, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself."^[h]

 ²⁸ Jesus said to him, "Your answer is right. Do this and you will live."

 ²⁹ But the man, wanting to show the importance of his question, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

 ³⁰ Jesus answered, "As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, some robbers attacked him. They tore off his clothes, beat him, and left him lying there, almost dead. ³¹It happened that a priest was going down that road. When he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. ³² Next, a Levite^[i] came there, and after he went over and looked at the man, he walked by on the other side of the road. ³³ Then a Samaritan^[j] traveling down the road came to where the hurt man was. When he saw the man, he felt very sorry for him.³⁴The Samaritan went to him, poured olive oil and wine^[k] on his wounds, and bandaged them. Then he put the hurt man on his own donkey and took him to an inn where he cared for him.³⁵ The next day, the Samaritan brought out two coins,^[l] gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of this man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.' "

 ³⁶ Then Jesus said, "Which one of these three men do you think was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by the robbers?"

 ³⁷ The expert on the law answered, "The one who showed him mercy."

   Jesus said to him, "Then go and do what he did."

How often do I avoid helping others who are in need because it is an inconvenience  or doesn't fit into my schedule?  Much to often.  It is so easy to be concerned with the things in my life and to forget about the needs of others.  But I shouldn't.

While reading this passage, I though of the ragged looking man who is always standing on the corner at my grocery store.  He is almost always there, holding a sign about how he needs food.  I cringe when I think back to some of the thoughts that swirled through my head while driving by, trying my best not to make eye contact. 

 "He probably doesn't really need food and is just begging off of people so he doesn't have to work." 
"He is probably just an alcoholic who chooses to drink his life away."

 But, what if he isn't.  What if he is caring for a sick family member whose medical expenses are beyond their income and they have nothing left for food.  Maybe he is begging for food because he has children who are hungry and has no other way to provide for them.  How fortunate I am that I don't have to worry if my family will have enough food in their bellies before we lay down for bed each night.  How fortunate I am to have a healthy family.  Who am I to judge this man?  Yes, I acted like the Priest and the Levite, and in that moment decided to look the other way.  But next time, I will act differently.  Next time, I will be the good Samaritan.  


1 John 3 17:18
17Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help. Then God's love is not living in that person. 18 My children, we should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring.