Who Is Your Neighbor?by Daymond Geary  Who is your neighbor? This is a time to reflect on what we value in life. Understanding that value is measured by the time and energy we allocate to different areas of life. How we value others can easily be measured by the two indicators listed above. Do I give time and energy to benefit others that need my help? Are my values out of balance when measured with career and recreation? These probing questions are not to condemn anyone instead they are questions for serious thought. No one wants to wake up late in life realizing that the priorities and values we placed on people were less than they should have been.
A lawyer in Jesus’ day asks, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus told the story of the “good Samaritan”. This story was to illustrate the importance of helping others even at personal loss. Using a Samaritan as the hero of the story was difficult to the Jewish lawyer because the Samaritans’ were looked at as polluted Jews. A mixed race caused by the last dispersion and intermarriage with non-Jewish settlers. How could these compromised Jews be of service to the great God of Israel? Jesus showed that all had the capacity for compassion with practical works. Whoever needs your help is your neighbor. No matter what station you are born into, whether an under-valued member of society or a member of an influential family you are to show mercy to others. Valuing others is expected from all humans because it is the nature of God to love and care for others. Jesus left the ninety-nine for the sake of the one. The woman that had lost a coin called for others to help her find it, and she had a great celebration after finding that lost coin. It is all about the one person that needs our help. I sat by a woman and her thirteen year old daughter coming home from Anchorage. The mother explained that her daughter was facing serious medical problems and that she needed a miracle. We talked the entire trip nonstop about the times God had intervened in her family. My plan for the trip was to see a good movie and relax on my way home after facing my own medical problems. It was like the Holy Spirit whispered, “Who’s your neighbor”. I ended the visit with prayer for her daughter while the mother gently sobbed. Another lady talked to me before leaving Juneau that same morning. She wanted to tell me about her eighteen year old son getting saved and inviting her to church. I was thrilled to hear about her boy and about the influence he was having on her and her other son who is sixteen. For the one boy Jesus had died and for this one family he was making a difference. I thank God for the person that was sensitive to the Holy Spirit in reaching out to that young man. Somebody heard the question of, “who is your neighbor?” and answered it was the one that needed help. God bless you as you answer the call to see your neighbor as the one needing your help. | 
