From Jesus' story, it was obvious that the third man, the Samaritan, was the only one that truly cared for the injured man. The Samaritan was a good neighbor by caring for someone in need. The Jewish priest was a very important man, and the Temple assistant was very smart and wise, but they did not stop to help the beaten man. They were not being good neighbors.
Being a good neighbor is one way that we can show God's love to others, but there are many more ways we can show love!
Read God's description of love from
1 Corinthians 13:4-8:
"Charity [perfect love]
suffereth long
, and is
kind
; charity
envieth not
; charity
vaunteth not itself
, is
not puffed up
, Doth
not behave itself unseemly
, seeketh
not her own
, is
not easily provoked
,
thinketh no evil
;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity
, but
rejoiceth in the truth
;
Beareth
all things,
believeth
all things,
hopeth
all things,
endureth
all things. Charity
never faileth
...
How does God describe love (the red text above)? Which is most difficult for you? I don't know about you, but loving others can be really tough sometimes! Thankfully, we don't have to rely on our own strength to love others! Review the Bible Memory Verse above.
Isn't that encouraging? It is God's love in us that makes us want to love others! So where do we start?
Showing God's love to others can begin by showing His love in your own home with your own family! Here are some real life examples:
- When Mom asked her daughter, Megan, to help her brother clean up the blocks they played with, Megan also helped him clean up his whole room!
- When Grace's little sister played with Grace's favorite toy without asking, Grace spoke to her using kind words instead of angry words.
- On her mom's birthday, Kate gave one of her own toys as a gift. She even drew a picture and made her own card to go with it.
- Jackson sometimes eats lunch at school with his sister because he knows that she likes to spend time with him.
- Alex wakes up every morning and gives his grandma a hug and a kiss. He knows that's Grandma's favorite part of the day!
What are some ways that you can show love to those in your home?
WHY DOES THIS MATTER:
Because God is Love, He helps me to love others! Loving others is a natural response to loving God. You can start by being patient and kind, by being polite and not being "me first", and by forgiving and thinking the best of each other!
TAKING ACTION:
Talk to God and ask Him to help you think of ways to love others in your family. If you're having trouble loving others, go back and focus on loving God first. If you love God first, you can't help but look for ways to love others.
Have each person finish this sentence: Because God is Love, I will ________________.
(Note: Fill in the blank by sharing a specific action point.)
