“Created to Do Good”
By Rev. Everett R. Kimble, Sr.
“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here. Now, which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” (Luke 10:33-37)
Who are you, really? When you are all alone, with your friends and family, when you are at work, who are you, really? As believers, this is the question that we are going to have to answer. Who are we going to be no matter where we are, what is happening around us, or how others are reacting?
Once when I was much, much younger, some friends and I thought it would be a good idea to take a few things from a local convenience store without paying. In simple terms, steal them. I had a choice, and I decided to follow my friends and become a little thief. But somehow my mom found out what I had done, and she marched me right back down to that store and made me confess and give back what I had taken. I was humiliated and scared, but it taught me that I should never follow others simply to fit in. That experience taught me that doing the things that I thought were right, even if it cost me, would always be the best way to go.
The Samaritan in this passage teaches us that as believers, doing the right thing should come naturally. He never appears to ponder over what he was going to do, and he does not seem to consider what others have already done. From what we read here he does not ask who this is or what have they done. The Samaritan had already decided that he was going to be a good neighbor even if it cost him. He knew exactly who he was.
And here is your encouragement for today. Stop worrying about what others are doing. Stop looking around trying to figure out how you fit in and comparing yourself to other people. Set your mind on doing everything that God has told you and created you to do and even when things don’t go the way you planned rest assured, God already knew it was going to happen, and He has your back.
So, who are you really? You are a child of God, and you are blessed to be a blessing.
“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” (Luke 10:36, 37) Have a wonderful and safe Friday!
