Neighborly

Neighborly

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply

Title: Neighborly----------------------------------------- Date: 7/15/2000
Keywords: "compassion" "love" "neighbor"

Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation.

Passage: Luke 10:25-37*

25. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

26. And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"

27. And he answered and said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

28. And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."

29. But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

30. Jesus replied and said, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead.

31. "And by chance a certain priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32. "And likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33. "But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,

34. and came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35. "And on the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.'

36. "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"

37. And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

Questions

1. So, what's your take on being a neighbor?

2. Has a struggle with pornography placed you in dire need of a neighbor's help?

Practical help

Do you need a neighbor or do you need to be a neighbor? It doesn't really matter how you answer, sooner of later you'll be in both pairs of shoes.

Continuing the story from yesterday and picking up in verse 29, the lawyer sort of flippantly asks Jesus: "And who is my neighbor?" The answer he got must have thrown him for a loop. If you extend the lawyer's own scripture quote in light of Jesus' illustration one could conclude that if you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, then the neighbor you're to love as yourself is anyone you see needing love. Sort of shoots holes in the "Don't get involved!" or "Mind your own business!" safety zones we like to gravitate to these days.

If you're in a struggle with a porn habit it's our hope and prayer that you'll reveal your need for help to trusted Christian friend. One who, like the good Samaritan above, really knows what Jesus means when He says love your neighbor as yourself.

If you know of someone struggling and in need of a loving neighbor then, just as Jesus said of the good Samaritan, "Go and do the same."

eXXit homepage
Index of three-minute studies

Copyright 2000 by eXXit
*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLEŽ, Š Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."