"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." - Luke 10:30-33
I was just talking to a friend this evening. He asked that we pray for a certain man who is having trouble upon trouble. At first blush I was thinking, the man had put himself in that position and probably would not get out of it - doomed to a life of failure upon failure. Then I was reminded of the parable in Luke 10. The religious men were judgmental and avoided the man in the ditch. They passed by on the other side of the road. The safe side of the road. The self-centered side of the road.
Galatians 6:2 has become the By-Line for Pathfinder Mission.
"Bear one another's burdens and thus fill the law of Christ"
Which is to say - Love God and Love Others. Because God loves us and we love God, we love others - sacrificially. It is part of our new nature.
You should be careful that you don't respond to the emotion of the circumstance but have spiritual perspective on it. There is a space in between the priest and Levite and the man from Samaria. Not caring and doing nothing and putting your life on pause to help someone in distress.
You cannot solve everyone's problem. But that does not mean that you should ignore people - walking on the other side of the road - keeping your distance. When my friend told me about the man's plight, I felt the weight of his predicament - so heavy and hopeless. So what could I do? Sometimes it is praying - which is what I was asked to do. Sometimes it is doing. Doing what? What the Spirit prompts you to do. Maybe it is money - maybe it is walking along side the person.
Jesus did not heal everyone - but that did not mean He did not care about everyone. Often times you will have a battle within. What your flesh tells you to do and what the Spirit prompts you to do. You have to know the difference and always yield to the Spirit - which is to say - fulfill the law of Christ.
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." - Matthew 25:31-46
Both the sheep and the goats asked Jesus the same question, "When did we see you?" His answer - "When you did or didn't do it to me." We have opportunities every day to demonstrate our love of God and others in some form or fashion. Resist the temptation to walk on the other side of the road.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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