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But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. Luke 10:33-34 (ESV)
A lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told of a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robbers caught him off-guard and beat him, leaving him for dead. Two ‘respected’ members of society came by where the traveler lay. Each of them had their own schedules to keep. They looked at the man and hurried on about their business.
A Samaritan came upon the scene and took mercy on the befallen man. He cleaned and bandaged up his wounds. He put the injured man on his own animal and took him to an inn that was nearby. This angel of mercy stayed with the man through the night. The next day he paid for the travelers lodging, promising to repay any further debt the injured party would incur.
Jesus then asks. “Who was the neighbor?”
In our modern world, we see people who are neighbors in the sense that they live near to us. We also may have people who live a distance away and may have backgrounds different from ours but who go the extra mile to help those in need.
Sometimes, in the movies I watch, a kind and compassionate person gets fooled by some less than honorable people by staging what looks like an accident alongside the road.
We have new neighbors. Something one of them said to my hubby didn’t set very well. Recently, they had a fire pit in their backyard. Hubby went out and offered to let them use our hose if they needed to ensure the fire would be out later. The next morning, both of our cars and our son’s car had ash all over them. Hubby got out the hose and got most of the ash off of all three cars.
Later in the afternoon, I heard knocking on our front door. The man standing outside looked like our new neighbor. It actually was his brother. He apologized for getting ash on our cars and offered to pay for their washing. I went and got Hubby and the man explained again. Hubby talked with him about the issue and finally accepted half of the amount the man offered.
This man is living next door to us temporarily. Although we didn’t expect it, he did the right thing, he was a good neighbor.
Wow,,, that was very interesting...so nice of that man (who doesn't actually live beside you, but his brother) to offer to pay for washing your cars...apparently he realized that his brother was not being wise or careful, and he wanted to make up for it. Praying that the relationship with your new neighbor will become more positive, and that God will show you and your hubby ways to show him the love of Christ. Neighbors can be real challenges to our faith...we have had lots of such experiences. We are trying to get to know our neighbors better and be positive witnesses to them. Sometimes they, who may not necessarily claim to be Christians, have actually been more kind and generous to us first...and that has been a real lesson for us.
ReplyDeleteThis has been a challenge. The former owner's mother and biological father bought that house almost 42 years ago. We have had a relationship with that family over the years. Our neighborhood has changed since we moved here. Thank you for praying for us. Peace and Blessings.
DeleteIt's good to know there are some responsible people out there. Having troublesome neighbors can be a real problem. I'm glad you and your hubby are trying to show Jesus to your new neighbors.
ReplyDeleteDue to the heat, I am not outside very much. I really haven't met the entire family yet. It's been a while since we have had such a large family next to us. (four children.) They are trying to work on their house and their yard as they can.
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