In Luke 10.25-37, Jesus tells what might be the most famous parable in the Bible, the parable of the good Samaritan. The reason the parable is so popular is that it teaches us such a powerful lesson – we need to care about others. We need to go and do likewise – we need to be Good Samaritans in our everyday lives, not just concerned with people who look like us or worship like us, and we need to care about others.
I believe that Christians are still passing by people that they need to stop and help. They need to have a heart that feels the needs of others, an eye that notices those lying by the roadside and they need a wallet that doesn’t just spend all its money on itself and its needs and wants.
The priest and the Levite both saw the man, but they did feel any empathy. They did not see him with eyes of love, they were still in their hearts looking at their to-do list, their love of themselves led to them ignoring the needs of others.
But the Good Samaritan did not put his journey above the needs of others. He put the needs of others above his need to get his journey done. We need to be people prepared to deviate from our busy lives, or even our holidays to help others. I meet plenty of people who never have any money to help others, but they never lack money to go on expensive trips.
The Good Samaritan used his oil and his wine to help others, he didn’t bathe in it all, and didn’t drink all the wine himselves. I guarantee there are people out there who need some of your wine, and some of your oil. You need to start thinking of others.
Now the greatest need of the world is what? The oil of the Holy Spirit and the wine of God’s love! Nothing can save this world from hell apart from the love of God – we need to share our wine with others, we need to share our church with others, we need to share the gospel with others. We need to share our Jesus with others!
And your Christian friends, they need some of your oil. We need to flow in the Holy Spirit and bring life to people. We want to move in the presence of God – it is the presence of God that can change lives, it can reveal keys to life, it can take us to a higher level, it can lift us. We can share our life with others and help them.
People have been beaten up, wounded and left for dead by life and these people – these others are crying out for others to help them. You can be those others to them!
If you feel the Holy Spirit is telling you and leading you to care for others and calling you to commit to be a Good Samaritan, here are some key facts about being a Good Samaritan:
- The Good Samaritan never made a single excuse. Well, I am too busy, I bet that guy on the ground deserved it, he must have done something terrible, I have some many important things to do. I can’t help, who am I to do something about it. We must eradicate excuses from our heart and be willing to stop and help the hurting.
- The Good Samaritan did not care about danger. It was an area with bandits around, they could have attacked a vulnerable man helping others, but he risked his life to help the man. We need to think about that – maybe the Lord is leading you to go to another country, to take a risk and go to the end of the earth.
- The Good Samaritan paid a great price to help others. He gave up his oil and wine to help others – that costs money. He spent money on helping – there is always a financial cost to helping the lost! Any evangelism will cost money, and when you first give up money to help someone – that is the start of your ministry! That is when you really become a Good Samaritan.
I believe today the Holy Spirit is using this post to speak to you about someone – maybe someone unsaved, maybe someone blind, maybe someone poor, maybe someone beat up by life, maybe someone who needs a lot of help. Whoever it is, do not walk by on the other side, because God is about to use you to help someone and change someone’s life!
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