IQ #251 Be a Good Neighbor

Hello my friends. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come. With all creation I sing, praise to the King of kings. You are my everything and I will adore you!”

Several days ago I was asked what my favorite Bible story is. After giving it some thought I chose, “The Parable of the Good Samaritan”. This story is so relevant to our own everyday lives in that it reaches down to the core of who we are to be as followers of Jesus Christ.

Luke 10:25-37      The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ 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.’^[b]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ 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. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.³⁴ 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. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[c] 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.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you became a follower of Christ and his teachings. In doing so, you are called in to action with the use of your mind, heart and feet.

Your neighbor; lives next door, sits in your classroom, plays on your team, walks the hallways in your school, attends your church, works beside you at a job, shops or works in the stores you go to, and is any person you may find out about that is in need of help. Pray for them.

Your neighbors are all around you and they may be hungry, lacking proper clothes, sad, angry, scared, bullied, physically hurt, brokenhearted, lonely, depressed, hopeless, conflicted, looked down upon, stressed out, or rejected by peers and maybe their family. Your neighbor may just need someone to talk with or just to listen to their story. Do all you can for those in need. Show them God’s mercy.

Your neighbor may not know God or may know about God, but doesn’t understand why God is so important to their life. Share the Gospel. Share your story.

You have been given a gift of the Holy Spirit that has come alive in you when Jesus ascended to heaven to be with God. With the Holy Spirit you have gained great power and strength, and fellowship with God, Jesus Christ and all true followers of our Lord, so that you can continue to carry out the works of Jesus Christ. Be the Lord’s feet and voice. The Holy Spirit will guide you.

Your walk and talk is to emulate Jesus Christ and those who live their lives in accordance with Christ’s teachings.

Jesus came as a servant and to lead the lost back to life with God. You serve Jesus by serving others as He has taught you. Bring glory, praise and honor to God by serving your neighbor with an open heart and mind. Pray for them. Let your walk be Christ led for the sake of your neighbor.

Be a good neighbor.

With the love of Jesus Christ,

Papa John 11:13:15