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.’”
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 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.” {Luke 10:25-37}
Ah, the infamous Good Samaritan story. Isn't it interesting that Jesus used the example of a Samaritan to teach a Jewish man about kindness? Remember I told you here that the Jews despised the Samaritans?
Moreover, the passage tells us that this Jewish man was an "expert in the law" which means he was probably one of the religious leaders of the day. What an insult to have a Samaritan man exalted above himself.
And yet, I believe Jesus did it on purpose, to show that kindness and humility go hand in hand. In order to truly serve others, you must humble yourself.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
{Philippians 2:5-8}
Together as a family, or each family member individually, perform one random act of kindness this week. Do something nice for a complete stranger. Pay for the meal of the person in line behind you in the drive-thru. Make cookies and leave them on the doorstep of someone in your neighborhood. Send an anonymous note of encouragement to someone who needs uplifting. Or leave an unmarked envelope of cash in the mailbox of someone who could use a little extra money. Leave a comment to let us know what you did!
Don't forget to hang your {Kindness} fruit on your Fruit of the Spirit tree and display it in your home as a visual reminder for your family this week, as you focus on kindness in your home. Go here to download the printables that go with our Making the Fruit of the Spirit Come Alive in Your Home series if you missed our introductory post. And go here for Cat's tutorial on how to make your fruit printables into glass pebble magnets, so that you can hang your tree on the refrigerator.
Happy Wednesday, friends! Invite your friends to join us next week as we talk about GOODNESS! :)
 |
About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.
|
No comments
Post a Comment