“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10: 25-37 NIV)
Being a good neighbor pays off! Not only will you be in adherence to God’s expectations, but you will be the beneficiary of blessings at just the right time. Here is my short example. One of the Deaconesses at our church has a connection with her neighbor who teaches at a nearby public school. They are good neighbors. Last Friday, we presented Perfect Attendance Awards to the students at that elementary school. Because the Deaconess is a good neighbor, the teacher did not mind taking the awards to the school and presenting them on behalf of the church. This is not the first time that being a good neighbor paid off. In the past the teacher, upon request by the Deaconess, identified students in need of shoes and took them shopping for footwear. And on another occasion, she went beyond her normal classroom duties to identify students who needed winter coats. In case you think that being a good neighbor is limited to the examples I presented you with, let me enlighten you. The children who were the recipients in each of the three situations will remember the act of kindness that was shown from total strangers, the membership of our church. The church was being a good neighbor to the school. Consequently, because of the Deaconess’ status as a good neighbor, there will be a domino effect that no one knows when it will end. You see, I am sure that some of the students will play forward the kindness shown to them at some time in the future. They too will become good neighbors. As you can surmise, the blessing of giving, prompted by a good neighbor, will be perpetuated over time, from one person to another. When you consider how you have been affected in your personal life by Jesus’ parable about The Good Samaritan, you will no doubt agree with men. Have a great Wednesday! And like a good neighbor, YOU be there! Be blessed!
“For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Romans 13:9 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King