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Compassion

“The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor? Jesus replied with a story: ‘A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.”
Luke 10:29-33 (NLT)

ground-rescue-1552688-639x936In this passage, we are introduced to the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus uses this illustration to teach and communicate several valuable lessons that we can incorporate into our into our daily lives. First, unlike the Priest and the Temple Assistant, who chose to pass by the Jewish man in need, it is important for us to understand that we are not better than those we are serving. The Bible tells us that we have ALL sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). As the parable continues, we read that the “despised Samaritan” felt compassion for the man and did what he could to help him. As Christians, our hearts should be full of compassion for those in need, and it is our responsibility as the hands and feet of Christ to serve them as the Holy Spirit leads.

Today, pray that God would give us compassion for those we are serving, and ask Him to break our hearts over the things that break His. Then pray that He would use us like the Good Samaritan to help those who are hurting, lost, and in need.

Prayerfully,

Madison

 

photo credit: http://www.freeimages.com/photographer/beuford00-38525

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