Even Christians have become dysfunctional, afraid, and discouraged.
Today’s religion fills the churches with an inability to help believers experience the living power of God and unwillingness to prioritize God over self-centeredness.
Help comes from an unlikely place!
Sometimes the presence of God comes down as a surprise and at a surprising time. After being abandoned and left to die on the road by a priest and a Levite, the beaten-up man finally gets help from a Samaritan. In those days, Jews hated the Samaritans and would not walk through their lands or associate with them. In Luke 10:29, the teacher of the law had asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answers the question: The good Samaritan is your neighbor, and you hate him. The teacher of law has been trying to justify himself—to justify his godliness—but he does not keep the law because he hates someone he should love.
As much as you might want to be the Samaritan in the story, you might not be. Today’s world and its ruinous circumstances have beaten down even the believers. All religion has to offer is self-help and survival, but no revival. You want to be the Samaritan in the story, but you might just be the man who was lying in the road, helpless and half-dead.
Steve remembers when he was at his breaking point, beaten down by life and discouragement in the ministry: “I had no idea that help could come from heaven. I didn’t even give God that option.”
Ask God for help. It might come from a surprising place.
God can change us, fills us, and help us experience life and revival! Let Jesus come down and be the Good Samaritan in your life. Revive us again!
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.
32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.
35 Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
11:32I had no idea that help could come from heaven. I didn’t even give God that option.
11:53I never gave God the option: You could break out through the heavens, and you could save me and change me. I could experience revival life coming back to the half-dead.
12:22We can’t be the Good Samaritan we’d like to be. We’re being attacked.
