There is a pattern that all of humanity follows, and it is always dependent on the circumstances that surround us. Those who are today in a war-torn area are not intently watching commercials on their televisions for the best cookware, those who live in areas where there is no war nearby are. The threat is real only when it arrives at our doorstep, until that time it is “over there,” and those people “over here” are only paying a cursory notice towards it.
They are talking points with those you meet, nothing more, few rush to assist them in difficult times today, the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) only acts good when he is passing by the trouble, and many times only rarely today. Advertisements like to proclaim, “Around here, when trouble hits, we pull together” and it matters little where the location on the planet is, problem is though, few in all reality actually do pull together, “I’ve got problems of my own.”
I ask you, if all alive today would adhere to Matthew 22:39, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,” would not all be good Samaritans, would not others, including you, always look at others as higher than themselves, (Phil. 2:3) would not humility reign? Yes, it would, but I ask you this question then, would that make you acceptable to the kingdom of God? Answer, no, it would not.
Before you can do works that are acceptable in the eyes of the Lord, you must first repent, truly repent, for at that very moment you become born-again and the Holy Spirit comes to indwell within you. Then, with wise discernment of the Word of God, the works that you do will be done through you by the Lord, and these are the works that we will be judged by. (Romans 2:16)
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17) This is not a verse for the lost, not a verse for works-based religious cults, it is for those who have acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord and are living a life as best as they are led for the glory of God, for if we do not do the good, which can only come from the One who is good, (Mark 10:18) then we are denying Him by our inactions.
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6) A verse for all, but these truths are Spiritually discerned, and so the one who calls Jesus Christ Lord who attempts outside of the will of God, to please Him, to aswage His anger or incur His favor is indeed in error. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13)
Those people “over there,” our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in the warzone, who are suffering at the hands of despots, of evil rulers and religious cults will be a burden to us that we are willing to bear as the Lord leads. They are not just news stories on media platforms. “Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” (Heb. 13:3)
There is one point in that account our Lord gave of the good Samaritan that some miss, he went out of his way, he was inconvenienced, though not in the way that many look at those occurrences in our lives today. He wasn’t sitting around the house, he had places to go, people to see, things to do, but he stopped all that, and had compassion. When you hear those terrible accounts today of others who are suffering, pray, if you can go and help, go, in whatever way that the Lord has called you to do good, do it. The Christian life is one of inconveniences, you should know that by now, it is when they stop being inconveniences that you know you are on the right path.
