Help Even Your Enemies

Reading through the Gospels, I came across this passage in Luke that made me think deeply within myself as to what being loving and kind truly is.

Left for Dead

Here we have a man that has been mugged, beat up, and left for dead in the middle of the road.

A priest and a Levite passed by, and just ignored him.

Think about this for a minute. As Christians, we are suppose to be walking in the ways of Christ’s teaching, and when we see someone in trouble what do we do?

• Do we just ignore them leaving them for dead?

• Do we just pass them by and ignore their cries for help?

If we do, then how are we any better than those who hurt them?

How are we any better than the world around us that treats everyone with nothing but contempt?

How is that living for Jesus?

A Samaritan

What is interesting is that a Samaritan of all people helped this man.

If you ever studied a little history, the Jews hated Samaritans , yet this one Samaritan, regardless of his feeling about his known enemy, had compassion and helped this man.

Now only did he clean the man’s wounds, he also took him to an Inn, and paid for everything, asking nothing in return.

What a testimony this is.

How many of us could see a mortal enemy in the streets, stop to help him, asking for nothing in return, knowing full well that in their heats they despised us and wanted us dead?

Well, as Christians, this is exactly what we need to do. We need to help everyone regardless of our own opinions or feelings. We are not helping others on our own behalf, but rather for the glory of God. If we truly do love the Lord, then we need to remove all contention from our hearts, and look to everyone with the same kindness and compassion that Jesus extended to us.

This is why we need to continually pray day and night so that God can help us keep our hearts of flesh, removing all stone at all times.

And maybe, the next time we help someone in need, by the sign of compassion we extend towards them, they might see the love of Jesus and want to know Him as we do.

Maybe by that single act of kindness it will be enough so soften their hearts, and let them know that there is more in this broken world than the hate that engulfs each one of us, each and every day.

May we always have the strength not to repay the wrongs done us, but instead seek good for all those around us.

Related Reading:

• Do you love me?
• The Bible Quiz, you ready with your modern version?
• Do you profess Christ?
• I Love the World, Yet I’m a Christian
• Moses = Humble
• Which Translation of the Bible do you read?
• Job, A Righteous Man.

Tweet This Post