Can You Ignore Them?

“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him.” (Luke 10:33 NLT)

In Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10 we see a vivid picture of our woundedness by sin and our inability to care for (forgive) ourselves. We are the unnamed person along the side of the road, dying and in great need. Many religious people, even Christ-proclaimers, passed us by until one day someone stopped to help. His name was Jesus.

Yes, He may have used a different name. For me it was Bob. Who was it for you? Who looked behind the façade of the happy, perfect life to actually SEE you and your urgent need?

Often, even as credible, and sincere Jesus followers, our heart is so focused on “Foreign” Missions, we overlook the people we’re almost literally tripping over in our daily walk. The receptionist at our doctor’s office; the one we pay for our car wash; the checkout person at the grocery; the person selling flowers at the traffic light; our waiter/waitress at a restaurant. The list is virtually endless of “invisible” people we encounter every day. Are they not as valuable and lost as those in foreign countries?  

John Piper spoke to my heart when he wrote: “We are hypocrites to pretend enthusiasm for overseas ministry while neglecting the miseries at home. There was something wrong with the priest and the Levite in the story of the good Samaritan, who had their distant religious aims but were not moved by suffering close at hand where they would have to get their own hands dirty. Ministries of mercy close at hand validate the authenticity of our distant concerns.”

At our church we have several outreach ministries to reach hurting and at-risk people in our local communities, but even then, we’re (I’m) quick to give money without it really costing me anything. But please don’t hear what I’m not saying. The real question is – “Are you serving Christ locally in some way.” Not all of us can serve the needs of the poor and oppressed as a ministry pursuit, but each of us needs to serve somewhere, and if you’re not serving anywhere, consider those in your spheres of influence who have genuine needs.

Even then, there are plenty of other people we know and with whom we have regular contact and for whom we can pray and offer a helping hand. In my mind stinginess is the opposite of generosity, and it has to do with far more than our money. We can be stingy with our compliments, our praise of God and others, our kindness, goodness, self-control, and the other fruit of the Spirit, but it’s seldom so obvious as our “tips.”

My wife was a waitress when she was going to school, so, she’s usually a generous “tipper,” and that “habit” has rubbed off on me. I’ve mentioned before that I often will leave an invitation card from my church to the server and will sometimes jot a quick note. Something like “great job!” or “I appreciate your extra effort to make our experience here special.” But when I do that I don’t leave a measly tip, I generally leave 25 to 30+%.

“Why?” you may ask? Four reasons: 1. It’s their livelihood and if they take me up on my invitation to come to church, I want them to be happy to see me. 2. It’s a tangible way to express the love of Jesus. 3. The Lord has enabled me to have the means to be generous. It’s a way I can model His character and generosity to me. 4. It lets them know they’re not invisible to me and that I’m making a conscious effort not to ignore them, but to thank them for doing their job well.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊