But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 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. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:29-37
“Nobody is too good for the meanest service. One who worries about the loss of time that such petty, outward acts of helpfulness entail is usually taking the importance of his own career too solemnly.
We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks as the priest passed by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps–reading the Bible…
It is a strange fact that Christians and even ministers frequently consider their work so important and urgent that they will allow nothing to disturb them. They think they are doing God a service…
But it is part of the discipline of humility that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service and that we do not assume that our schedule is our own to mange, but allow it to be arranged by God.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) in Life Together (New York: Harper One, 1954) 99.
This week I had many interruptions. When I cried to the Lord, disappointed by my perceived lack of productivity, He sweetly led me to pick up Bonhoeffer (no kidding, it was sitting in my wife’s reading stack!) and read the chapter on “ministry”. I was convicted when I stumbled on this quote.
Generosity is making myself available to do “acts of helpfulness” like the Good Samaritan. The schedule of my life is not “mine” as it too belongs to God. I am learning that the “acts of helpfulness” trump anything on “my” agenda in importance, and God will help me sort all the other stuff because He is good.