Lesson 7: We can be Good Samaritans every day.

Here is lesson seven.

Lesson 7: We can be Good Samaritans every day.

References: Galatians 5:13b, 1 Corinthians 16:14, Romans 13:10 Romans 12:9-10, John 15:12-14, 17, Ephesians 5:1-2, Romans 5:5b

God wants us to love others, it is a commandment that we are to obey if we are His children. Loving others and doing things for them is not always easy to do. We usually want what is best or easiest for us. Just like in the story of the Good Samaritan (you can review the story); people did not want to help the hurt man because it would have been inconvenient or too hard for them to help. But if we have believed in Jesus and are living our lives in obedience to Him, then He is helping us to love others. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. Romans 5:5b says, “God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” This means that we can love other people by the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s love has been poured into our hearts if we have faith in Him. Because God loved us, we can love others. The Bible is full of verses that tell us to love others. Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” John 15:12-14, 17 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” Romans 12:9-10 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 13:10 “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 “Let all that you do be done in love.” Galatians 5:13b “but through love serve one another.”

All of these verses tell us to love others, so what does that look like? How do we love people around us? Those verses say that we are to serve one another, love as God loved us, do not do wrong to someone, and hold fast to what is good. Love can look like many different things. Love can be obeying your parents, doing something nice for someone, picking us trash, raking leaves, washing the car, writing a card to tell someone how much they mean to you, helping someone clean up or make something or just saying I love you ... Love can take many different forms, it is hard to make a list of what love looks like. What do you think loving your neighbor would look like? Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is not just the person that lives next door to us.

We do need to remember that we should love our neighbors with a good attitude. We do not always want to help people or love them. That is why we have to pray for God to help us. It is not easy, that is why He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us.