Who Is My Neighbor: "The Good Samaritan In You"

Who Is My Neighbor: The Good Samaritan In You

The “Golden Rule” which enhances humanity is that which states; “Do unto others as your would done to you.” It is upon this rule that the whole law of God is manifested in the fashion that we must live among ourselves.

Who then is my neighbor and how can we too become the next “Good Samaritan” for those we encounter in life? To be a "Good Samaritan" we must learn to love God and therefore be able to love another!

Your neighbor is the next-door person, irrespective of whether you know him or her, or not at all.

Your neighbor is that individual that needs your help, irrespective of the color of his or her skin, status in society, educational qualifications or ability to help you in return.

Your neighbor is that helpless refugee that has no place to go and is in need of your help to settle down and care for his or her family.

Your neighbor is the homeless guy

Your neighbor is the one in the nursing home

Your neighbor is that person in prison

Your neighbor is the orphan and all those that cannot help themselves

Your neighbor is the victim of robbery, discrimination and racism

Your neighbor is that person condemned by society and considered to be good for nothing.

Your neighbor is that person that is called by his or her mistakes

Your neighbor is that person that has been betrayed by the community

Your neighbor is that person in search of peace, comfort and hope

Your neighbor is that one looking for love

 

The neighbor is the stranger who shows you mercy and love.

The neighbor is the stranger that sees God in you and become part of your family

The neighbor is the fellow that rescues you from death, poverty and pain.

In our contemporary society, Jesus Christ is challenging us to see in others the image of a neighbor as was epitomized in the story of the “Good Samaritan.” In that story, we were told how a stranger came to the rescue of the victim of robbers, when others who claimed to love and serve God turn their eyes away from his pains.

Today robbery is not just armed robbery, but rather anything that strips you of your God given dignity!

You can be robbed of your pride

You can be robbed of your peace

You can be robbed of your hope

You can be robbed of your faith in humanity

You can be robbed of your talents

You can be robbed of your dignity by being beaten for doing nothing wrong

You can be robbed of your freedom

You can be robbed of your solace

You can be robbed of your family and friend

And definitely, you can be robbed of your life on earth without justification.

It is now about time we begin the value life, love and faith in our God!

For the Police Officers in our communities, it is about time they see in the Black community the abundance of neighbors! This will enable them to love and be merciful rather than being judgmental and harsh to them.

In the Black communities, they must begin to see the Police officers as their neighbors by helping them to help their neighborhood and appreciate them as law enforcement personnel, ready to protect their lives and properties.

When people begin to see beyond the color of our skin, then our hearts can be filled with the love of God, and therefore we can become able to be a neighbor to those who don’t look like us.

You cannot inherit eternal life by limiting the requirement: “You must love even the unlovable.”

 

PRAYER:

 

O Lord, our God, please touch our hearts today, that we may love all your creation as you required of us, and help us to see your loving image in everyone we encounter today.

Help us to know and come to appreciate that you are a God that does not make mistakes and it was not without your knowledge that even though we are one human race, you deemed it necessary that we have diverse status in terms of the color of our skin, eyes and hair, the variation in our height, size and talents too.

Today we pray that you help us to appreciate the beauty in diversity and come to rely completely on your Holy Spirit to guide and guard our every action, so that we too may bring glory to your name today.
Help us to turn to you O Lord, our God for protection instead of turning to the machination of man such as gun, sword and other weapons of mass destruction.
Teach us to love one another now and always!

Thank you, for in Jesus Christ name, we pray! Amen

Reference: Luke 10:25-37, Leviticus 19: 10, 18, Galatians 6:10

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