Sometimes I am guilty of ignoring the most essential things in life. I spend so much time trying to reach the next level. It causes me to lose focus on what is in front of me. Simple things like showing love to my family and neighbors. As the head of my household, I take my role as a provider very seriously. I am driven to meet their basic needs—food, clothing, and shelter. I also want to ensure they get far more. That sometimes pushes me to be future-focused instead of present-focused.

Jesus was faced with many oppositions as he performed his ministry. Yet he ensured that all who came to Him were dealt with love and compassion. I do not doubt the the crowd was drawn by the healing and miracles. All that was great! What kept them was the love and compassion shown. One day, a lawyer hoped to trap him by asking him which of the commandments was the greatest. Not only did Jesus’ response clarify this issue. It also revealed what was most important to our Heavenly Father. Jesus made it very clear that LOVE fulfilled the commandments. First love for God. Then love for our neighbor. Those two acts cover all the laws.

Matthew 22:27-30

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Who is your neighbor? Anyone you come into contact with. Not just those living closest to you or related to you.

Jesus then illustrated his statement about love with a story about a good Samaritan. What made this man special in God’s eyes was the kindness he showed to a stranger. What is so important about this man is that he was not one of God’s chosen frozen. Samaritans were hated by the Jews. They were of mixed heritage. They did not adhere to the laws of Moses. Their worship blended Jewish beliefs with those of other faiths. They did not see Jerusalem as the only place to offer sacrifices to God. They chose to worship and offer sacrifices to God on mountains and other high places. Yet in demonstrating the love that pleases God, Jesus used a Samaritan to illustrate the point.

In the story, a man was robbed and badly wounded. He lay on the roadside. Special care was needed to survive his injuries. A Rabbi was the first to pass by. He saw the man but chose to continue on his journey. His primary concern was not to defile himself by attending to the stranger’s needs. Performing his religious duties was far more critical. Then came a lawyer. He completely ignored the man and went on his way. Lastly, a Samaritan came along, he saw the injured man and was moved with compassion. He bandaged and dressed the wound of the man. He then took him to the nearest inn. He left the man there to heal from his injuries. Before he left, he paid for food, lodgings, and the man’s care. He also promised to cover on other expenses that the money did not cover. (Please read Luke 10:25-37.)

Jesus used the story of the good Samaritan to show the love that pleases our Heavenly Father. Our Father is more concerned with our acts of mercy, compassion, and love than our anointing and sanctification. Never forget that.

One Sunday, in August 2019, my wife and I needed to go finish a side hustle. God had opened the door for us to clean an office once per week. Despite our attempts to clean the office on Friday evening, we were delayed. The Sunday was no different. We just had to wait until the afternoon. I was not happy at all about that. Sundays are one day I prefer to spend with family or at church. Work Sunday evening, no way. When we got the all-clear to come and clean the office. We tackled it with haste. While working, I listened to a training and kept praying in tongues. Glory to God, in record time, we were done. I was looking forward to going back home to enjoy a second helping of dinner. As we were about to turn off the main road, we saw someone standing by the side of his car. The car hood was opened. He just stood there with his hands folded. We watched as he lay on the ground and placed his hand behind his head.

“I probably should help him”, I thought.

Split seconds later, another thought came.

“Keep driving. He may be waiting on roadside assistance. You are a black man, he may think you are there to do him harm.”

Given some of the reactions from a few Southern white folks, I foolishly listened to the second voice. Do you know that the first voice you hear is always the voice of God? When in doubt, ask yourself some questions. “Am I likely to be harmed in this situation?” “Will this allow me to display the love of God?” “Can it open a door for me to share the gospel with someone?” One thing you can always trust. The Holy Spirit will always lead you to do good. I am so thankful for my helpmate who was driving at the time. My wife did not speak a word. She promptly turned the car around. Parked behind his vehicle. Jumped out of the vehicle. And asked how we may help him. I was giving her the side-eyes, but I knew that was not her. God had moved her to respond to this man’s need.

His car needed a battery jump-start, but none of us had the equipment to do so. As we spoke to him, we noticed that he was very downcast. So we offered to pray for him. At that moment, he began to share all that was happening to him. He had been unemployed for years. The problems with his car were constant. He just didn’t have the money to fix it. We didn’t have any money to offer. So we gave him something more valuable. Hope fueled by prayer. We shared our testimony of the numerous times the Lord had supernaturally provided for us. As we finished praying for him, a relative came. Gave him a jump-start. And they drove off together.

As we were about to drive off, we realized the moment was God-ordained. The guy needed prayer to shift his life out of stagnancy. He also needed to know that God sees him. How? By the kindness of strangers. We had no doubt that our actions restored his hope. We never saw him again, but we are confident that God answered his prayers.

As you go about your daily life, please remember to share the love of God with the people around you. You never know who you are touching. Ask yourself this question.

Have I loved today?

Selah!

#40daysoflove

Addendum:

• This article was first published on September 4, 2019, and was titled ‘Show Me The Way of Love’.
• Amended November 11, 2025. The title has also changed.
• Photo by Timur Weber from Pexels.com. Slight adjustments were made using Canva.com.