How the Average Man can Minister to Others

When Jesus was asked a question about what real love looked like, he answered with the story of the Good Samaritan. There was a man who was beaten, robbed and left to die. A priest and a Levite – two religious men – saw his condition but ignored him. Apparently, they had other things to do. But help came from someone else. Jesus added, “But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.” He may have been an average man, but there was nothing average about the way that he cared. He bound the victim’s wounds, gave him a ride to the nearest inn, and promised to pay all expenses. Think of it: for nearly 2,000 years, when someone does an unexpected good deed we refer to him as a Good Samaritan – such is the lasting power of deeds of kindness expressed by the average man.

• I had a friend who worked in Philadelphia, who used to buy two sandwiches at lunch time, simply so that he could sit with a homeless person and have a conversation with him during his lunch break.
• On more than one occasion, I’ve waited for the bill after dinner only to find out it had been paid for by someone else in the restaurant – anonymously.
• Sometimes when it snows, I’ve taken my boys to shovel out driveways of the elderly or widow.
• I have friends who support multiple impoverished children though Compassion International. They’ve even visited several to these kids in Uganda.

Whether large or small, compassion grows in the heart of the person who, like the Good Samaritan, sees the needs of others. Perhaps we would do well to take our eyes off our agenda for the day, so that we could see the needs of those around us. In that way, our hearts will be moved with compassion, and we will find that we are compelled to act. Don’t move through your week, look for ways to minister during your week. While you still may think of yourself as average, your acts of kindness won’t be.