Taking the time

There are only 24 hours in a day. As time moves, the days seem to move faster.

God wants us to make good use of our time.

Loving others is not only shown in doing good but also making time.

Let’s look at the parable below,

“Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

“By chance, a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

“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.’

“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” (Luke 10:30-17;NLT)

Jesus is teaching us how to love our neighbors.

The Samaritan spent the day caring for the wounded man. If you remember when the Samaritan took the man to the inn, he spent the night caring for the man.

The Samaritan was on a journey himself, but he delayed his plans to take time to help the man that had been robbed and beaten.

A lot of times, we are so busy with our lives, and when we see a need, we overlook it because it will delay us.

Jesus wants us to be that person who stops to help. He wants us to take the time to help those we see that are in need.

This is how we show that we love our neighbor.

Taking time to care.