So this priest, Levite, and Sarmaitan all walk into a bar...

This past Sunday I went to church at Greenwood Community. Tom, the pastor, is going through the parables of Jesus…which I have heard too many times, it seems to be a theme of churches I visit. So I sat back to hear the same things I have heard many times before when he said something that struck a chord with me, so to speak.

The parable is in Luke 10, at the end I think starting with verse 31. It is the one about the guy on the road to Jericho who is beaten up and the priest and the Levite pass him but the Samaritan man stops and helps him and pays an inn keeper to watch over him until he is better. Anyway…Tom’s message was about helping people and not living life with blinders on. Look around and see need and help, stop being so sheltered by thinking everything around you is fine..look around, everything is not fine. Well he made these three points at the end.

Care – See
About – (I honestly forget what word goes here..)
For - Respond

…WHICH MEANS… care about people and do something about it. Actually see the need, don't ignore it any longer. But what he really said that is still sticking with me is you can care about something/someone and not do anything in the same way you can care for someone and not about them or their situation. Which I feel like I can get in the habit of doing. I am in a ministry opportunity/situation all the time. And sure I help people at the mission everyday and I care for their needs by helping them, but sometimes when I’m tired or I don’t really feel like it..I don’t care about them. I think that is the extra step that God calls us to take when we “do things in the name of Christ”. We can throw money around when there is need, but the extra step is getting to know the person who you are throwing money at.

Sometimes life lessons are hard but good. I think this was something that was hard to hear but good to be convicted of.