City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’ What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers? ‘The one who treated him kindly,’ the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, ‘Go and do the same.’”

Luke 10:33-37 (MSG)

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.”

Luke 6:31-34 (MSG)

Reflection

I’ll start off the devo with a bit of nostalgia:

I would like to think Fred Rogers incorporated the idea of neighbors into his show because he was inspired by the Good Samaritan parable. A neighbor isn’t just someone who lives on your block or building, Jesus says a person who is kind to you and helps you in your time of need, despite what you think about their heritage, skin color, gender, race, or religion, is your neighbor.

Why is the Samaritan called “good”? A regular Samaritan would have looked the other way, or even completed what the thieves started. The Good Samaritan gave his time, money, and skills to a stranger who quite likely thought less of him. I’m sure the Samaritan was treated terribly by Jews before he saw the man on the road, maybe he thought the man he cared for would do the same. But he knew the man didn’t deserve what happened to him and did everything he could to help him recover. 

Application

Fred Rogers said, “All of us, at some time or other, need help. Whether we’re giving or receiving help, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connects us as neighbors—in our own way, each one of us is a giver and a receiver.” We are both the man on the road and the Good Samaritan. We’re going to be inconvenienced at times, others will need our help, but use good judgement and set boundaries (even Jesus had to withdraw from the crowds every once in a while). Remember your neighbor, love them, and pay it forward, soon you’ll have a lot of neighbors! 

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for my neighbors. Help me to be a neighbor to others. In Your Name I pray, amen. 

I have to end this devo with the ending song: