4300 Somerton Road Trevose, PA 19053 | 215-639-4330
“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him], And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them] to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” Luke 10:33-35
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Four Principles of Loving Your Neighbor
1. He changed his Schedule. To be a good neighbor we often have to change our plans. The Samaritan was on a journey on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho. He could have simply kept to his schedule like so many of us do and make it to Jericho as quickly as possible. But instead he changed his schedule for someone else. Many of us are too busy with the cares of this world to take the time to reach out to others. We must have the courage to change our lives for others.
2. He left his Comfort Zone. The road to Jericho was a dangerous place. Often bands of robbers would lay in wait on this road ready to attack unsuspecting travelers. Unlike the other two travelers, the Samaritan went beyond his comfort zone to come to where the man was hurt. Every day hurt people are laying around us but how many of us will leave the comfort zone of our homes, cars or places of employment to come to the places where people are hurting.
3. He felt Compassion. He felt a deep sympathy and sorrow for the man and felt a great need to end his suffering. But he did not just feel compassion but the compassion moved him to action. We often feel compassion for the needs of others but how often are we moved to action. A neighbor is a person of action.
4. He Bound his Wounds. He saw his pain but did not judge him for it. He did not ask how the man got in this situation. He did not blame him for being attacked by robbers. He did not chastise him for failing to protect himself. He did not gossip to others about the man’s wounds. He simply bound up his wounds. We often judge people for their wounds. We judge them for their addictions, their sins, their weakness, their faults and their mistakes instead of binding their wounds and leading them to true healing.
We pray that God will allow us to truly love our neighbors as God commands us to do. May God give you peace in this season.