The Good Samaritan

I have been spending alot of time in this parable lately preparing to teach the middle school youth group on it next week. It's been making me reflect on the question "Who is my neighbor?" and "Why Do I often Ignore them?"  I wave, say hello, make small talk, but I have lived on this street for three years and I barely know the people living around me.

I think often we get stuck in our own little groups (even as adults) and become hesitant to venture out outside of them. I have been thinking how many of my neighbors have I even invited to our bible study? The answer is one, and that is going to be tomorrow when I call her! I don't have a problem inviting other Christians because I know they will be open to it, but venture into that unknown territory and it becomes a little scary.

Being a Good Samaratin isn't just about saving someone from the oncoming train or speeding car, or gang of thugs. Let's face it, how many of us will actually have a circumstance like that present itself to us? Sometimes it's helping our neighbors find a Savior, and his name is Jesus Christ! Where would I be today if my good samaritan friend hadn't invited me to Bible study and led me to Christ? Still lost in a crazy world, in my pit of despair even though I had convinced myself my life was "just fine."

How many of us continue to act like the priest and the Levite in this story? We leave others to save themselves, just like these two left the traveler for dead. People all around us are dying spiritually, yet we are content to leave it up someone else to reach out to them. It's time we all got out of our comfort zones a bit and starting loving our neighbors like we should!  We should love them enough to be brave enough to bring up at some point what has saved us and given us hope in this life and for eternity. Invite them to church, invite them to a bible study, or start off by inviting them to dinner and letting them see Christ in us!

We have opportunities every day to be The Good Samaritan, we just have to recognize them and then act on them. Let's pray that we see them then follow God where He wants us to go with it.