Good Christians = Good Samaritans

So far a lot of what I have written about on this blog has been facing my own challenges concerning spiritual discipleship apart from studying the Bible for information. The thing I take for granted is helping other people. I use "A Guide To Prayer For All Who Seek God" to get the juices going in my devotion time, and this morning's passage started me thinking about the Good Samaritan. Most people have at least heard of the story, if they haven't heard sermons on the subject. The story is about a man left for dead on the side of the road after being robbed and beaten. Two of his fellow country men passed by and did nothing. Samaritans were considered unclean outsiders. They were the kinds of people good Jews avoided at all cost. However, it was a Samaritan man who helped this Jew. Jesus's message is that as Christians we are all to be like the Samaritan man. I'll be honest. There are some people who grate my nerves. There are people who are so pitiable they are difficult to be around. However, I am a Christian which means there are times I have to make the choice to get over myself, and to put others, even those who bother me above myself. I'm not bragging. I'm ashamed. I wish I did not feel that way, but from time to time I do. I only pray it is enough to push past myself to offer assistance to those people, and that I won't be punished for those thoughts I fight against.