Sunday, August 7, 2016
She Wields A Sword: Ministry of the Innkeeper
She Wields A Sword: Ministry of the Innkeeper: I recently read the parable of the Good Samaritan and have come to the realization that the Lord could have been speaking of mankind and Him...
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Ministry of the Innkeeper
I recently read the parable of the Good Samaritan and have come to the realization that the Lord could have been speaking of mankind and Him. I mean that all of us at one time or another have fallen prey to the enemy's wiles and have been robbed and beaten out of our joy, peace, or health or finances, or know someone who has, as we've made our way along life's journey. Now, I've always considered the priest and the Levite the "bad guys" of the story being perhaps preoccupied with position, decorum and cultural tradition, or maybe just a schedule to keep, to stop and help.
However, what really caught my attention this time was the thought, am I like them? Have I been too preoccupied with schedules to keep, a sense of pride or even fear to stop and help another in need?
Well, we just heard a message last Sunday that ministry can be messy - and it's inconvenient. But, thank God for Jesus. Like the Samaritan, He took pity on me and bandaged my wounds - our wounds - the emotional wounds and more importantly the spiritual wound. He's poured His oil of gladness and the Holy Spirit's anointing upon me, and with the wine of new life has rescued me. So He's already done the inconvenient thing; at the Cross.
I suppose we can place ourselves in the position of any of these characters whether it be the man robbed or the Levite, the priest, or the Samaritan or even the Innkeeper, and then do as Jesus would have us do.
So my question is not so much anymore am I like the Levite or the priest or can I do like the Samaritan, but can I be like the Innkeeper? Can I take the denarii or the gifts He's bestowed and entrusted to me, to love and care for those He has rescued until He returns?
“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?” Luke 10:30-36 NIV
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." Matthew 25:40
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27
“Tend (nurture, guard, guide, and fold) the flock of God that is [your responsibility], not by coercion or constraint, but willingly; not dishonorably motivated by the advantages and profits [belonging to the office], but eagerly and cheerfully; 1 Peter 5:2
However, what really caught my attention this time was the thought, am I like them? Have I been too preoccupied with schedules to keep, a sense of pride or even fear to stop and help another in need?
Well, we just heard a message last Sunday that ministry can be messy - and it's inconvenient. But, thank God for Jesus. Like the Samaritan, He took pity on me and bandaged my wounds - our wounds - the emotional wounds and more importantly the spiritual wound. He's poured His oil of gladness and the Holy Spirit's anointing upon me, and with the wine of new life has rescued me. So He's already done the inconvenient thing; at the Cross.
I suppose we can place ourselves in the position of any of these characters whether it be the man robbed or the Levite, the priest, or the Samaritan or even the Innkeeper, and then do as Jesus would have us do.
So my question is not so much anymore am I like the Levite or the priest or can I do like the Samaritan, but can I be like the Innkeeper? Can I take the denarii or the gifts He's bestowed and entrusted to me, to love and care for those He has rescued until He returns?
“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?” Luke 10:30-36 NIV
"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." Matthew 25:40
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27
“Tend (nurture, guard, guide, and fold) the flock of God that is [your responsibility], not by coercion or constraint, but willingly; not dishonorably motivated by the advantages and profits [belonging to the office], but eagerly and cheerfully; 1 Peter 5:2
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