Be a good Samaritan

This something of an addendum on my previous post "Soul Power" as it occurred to me that some might think that they should do absolutly nothing unless God spoke to them with a bullhorn sort of voice commanding them to do such and such. That idea flies in the face of much of Jesus teaching while He was here on earth not to mention all the teaching of The apostle Paul. We are not robots and that is not the way God want's us to think. The main gist of my article on Soul Power was to focus on the human tendancy to think we can do anything without God and the pride factor that generates. Pride is one of the most dangerous sins that can get a hold on a servant of God and transform him into a servant of self leaving God completely out of the equasion. I don't think any serious Christian really wants to spend his whole life in Christian service and works only to get to heaven and stand before the Lord and be told that it was all wood, hay and stubble and had been burned up in the fire of judgement and that his only reward was the minimum that the least would get. It always grieves me to hear someone say "well all I want is just a little shack over there in a corner of heaven". That person is seriously misinformed of the purpose we are put here for and why we were redeemed and what does that say about his or her love for the Lord and what He has done for us?

We are called to Good Works.
Galatians 6:9-11
New King James Version (NKJV)

9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

If we are loving faithful Christians we are spending time with the Lord and we can be sure that He is guiding our steps daily. Therefore if we encounter a need in the course of our daily walk we can be pretty sure that God wants us to do something about it. This is quite different than determining that I'm going to become a missionary or teacher or pastor and go here or there and serve God in that capasity. It is simply ministering to the needs in the life of others that are in the path that God has laid out for me today. It is really no different than the life of Jesus. As He walked from place to place He met needs that presented themselves. He did not get up in the morning and say to His disciples " I heard that there were some sick folk over in such and such a community so let's walk over there today and heal some. No, instead when He got out of the boat at Gadarea a demon possessed man came out of the caves and confronted Him, at that point Jesus did the logical thing and demanded the demon to come out of him. When He was walking down the road a blind man kept crying out to Him, Jesus Son of God help me. Again Jesus did the logical thing and asked him what he wanted. To receive my sight he said, to which Jesus response was, "receive your sight".

Look for the direction of the Holy Spirit in the everyday grind, ask for wisdom, you will always get it and then do what your heart leads you to do. These are the works that will turn out to be Gold, Silver and Precious Stones that will result in reward at the end of your days on earth. Don't ever say "well I can't because I have no resources" because the Spirit would never put you in a place to help someone and not supply you with what was necessary to help. We simply may not want to part with that which would help that person.
Never forget that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Acts 20:35
New King James Version (NKJV)

35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Not only that but you cannot outgive God for here is the promise and if it doesn't work it is because you don't believe it or are not obedient or your motives are to get rich.

Luke 6:38
New King James Version (NKJV)

38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

I trust that anyone reading this blog has pure motives and desires to have a closer walk with God so I'm sure none of the above negative descriptions apply.

There are a few cautions. While we are encouraged to help those in need there are a few descriptions in scripture where we should not help. The Apostle Paul said that if a man does not work, neither let him eat. There are those who seem to be perpetually in need but are not taxing their abilities to provide for themselves. It is one thing to help a person out of a crisis situation but is another matter when that person almost immediatly encounters another crisis and then another. It seems that their whole life is a perpetual crisis. This is where we must use discretion of the Holy Spirit and let our gift to them be one of prayerful intercession before God. Crisis is often the means that God uses to get people to look up. If we are always looking to man to solve our problems we will never get to know the only One Who has the ultimate solution. We will never develope an ounce of faith in the unseen. Then there is the person who is a Christian that is living contrary to the word of God and is under His discipline. If we intervene with help other than Godly council and prayer then we are crossing swords with the Lord and interfering with His purposes in their life and that is very unwise because the Hand of God may eventually come against you. These are all reasons that we must and absolutely must get in a relationship with God that He can guide our every move and action with very gentle urging. Now you should not need God to tell you to stop and help that stranded motorist or help the neighbor lady to change a flat tire when you yourself have some place to be because that is called a sacrifice and a true sacrifice is something that you willingly give even though it really costs you something. That releases the blessings of God.
The Samaritan in the parable that Jesus told about the traveler who was attacked, robbed and beaten by theives was a total stanger to him but he tended his wounds and gave money to have him nursed back to health and asked nothing in return, as opposed to the pharisees who walked by on the other side of the path so as not to get blood on their clothes. Jesus didn't call him a Good Samaritan, that is a title given by man as though all the other Samaritans are bad and this one was good. No he simply was an undistinguished layman doing the will of God in contrast to the religous not doing the will of God. I could carry this much further but trust that it is not necessary for those who delight themselves with the the will of God.
Be blessed my friends and pass these messages along if you think they will be helpful to someone.

john Martin
justjohn@eoni.com