Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. Luke 10:33-34
In many cases, it is easy to say the words “I love you” to the people around us. On a completely different level, however, is living these words out. You see, we can say “I love you” repeatedly, but if our actions do not prove that love, people may begin to doubt the sincerity of those words. The truth is that our actions demonstrate our love for the people around us. When we meet needs, speak kindly to them, and ask, “How can I help?” we communicate our words through our actions. We know this to be true simply from our own experience, but Scripture speaks to the importance of showing our love through our actions as well.
Jesus made it clear that loving our neighbors was more words; it is expressed through our actions. In the story, he told in response to the religious expert’s question, “Who is my neighbor,” in Luke 10, there were three different people who had an opportunity to be a good neighbor to a Jewish man who had been robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and temple assistant both saw this man and passed him by. After this, the hero of the story emerged. A Samaritan, who many Jews would have considered at the time as an outcast because he was not a Jew, saw this man and took care of him. He fixed his wounds. He took him to an inn to be taken care of. In other words, he saved this man’s life. He showed genuine, neighborly love to this man.
The Samaritan in this story illustrated an important point: Neighborly love involves action. It means seeing a need and acting on it when the circumstance requires it. Simply having compassion is good, but it is not enough. Friends, we have to love not just through our words; we have to show our love. I am reminded of the words of 1John 3:18 “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” May you and I show this kind of neighborly love each and every day.
Think about the people who God has placed in your life. Are you telling them you love them with just your words, or are you also showing your love through your actions? Is there someone in your life who you know is struggling? Maybe they are struggling relationally, financially, academically, or maybe their career is struggling. Whatever the case, show love to them today through both your words and actions. Make a plan to do something to demonstrate your love for them, and then do it!
Luke 10:33-35 (NLT)
“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
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