Walking in Neighborly Compassion
Psalm 25:4-5 says, “ Make me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me...”
The Psalmist in this passage is clearly seen as praying for a great revelation from our God to truly see our Father’s ways; to thirst to learn more of His truth; to hunger to be taught His ways; to desire to walk the paths in which the Father has prepared for His people to walk. There is also the eagerness of the Psalmist to know the very heart of our Savior - and the willingness to follow! This should also be our prayer, our personal desire. We should be living our lives day after day seeking to learn the very heart of our Father.
As we read Luke 10:27, “ You shall love the Lord Your God with all Your heart and with all Your soul and with all Your strength and with all Your mind, and Your neighbor as yourself.”
As children of God desiring the very heartbeat of the Father, this should be our heartthrob. We should be people who are mindful of the needs of our neighbors, second to loving our God with our whole hearts. We should be compassionately concerned, ready to give a helping hand in times of need or kind words of comfort in times of sorrow and grief; or lend an ear to listen in times of confusion and distress. We offer a loving embrace in times of feeling alone and abandonment, or a prayer or two in times of hopelessness.
In Luke 10:25-37, the story of the Good Samaritan, let us see closely and learn what a real Christian should do.
We read that when a Priest and a Levite saw a man beaten by robbers and left half dead, they just passed by. These were people supposedly studying God’s teachings and ways? On the other hand, a Samaritan (a person adhering to a form of Judaism, accepting only their own deviant version) that happened to pass by felt compassion for the man when he saw him. Scripture says He came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He carried him on his beast and brought him to an inn to be cared for, gave two dinarii to the innkeeper and promised to come back and repay whatever was spent.
Who among the three loved God? Who among the three loved their neighbor?
The answer is obvious. But if we put ourselves in the shoes of the Priest and the Levite and the Samaritan, how do you think we will respond?
