Luke 10.31

‘Now by chance a certain priest came down that road and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side’

In the parable of the good Samaritan, three people were given a chance to help a dying man lying by the side of the road. Only one took it, the other two were too busy and missed it. We tend to think that if God’s going to use us, it’ll be after we’ve been to college, fasted and prayed, analyzed every angle, weighed the pros and cons and have all our ducks in a row. But this is just not the case! Opportunities are coming at you every day. The question is, will you act on them or let them pass you by?

Listen: ‘And by chance a certain priest was going down on that road, and … he passed by … Likewise a Levite also … passed by on the other side’, Luke 10. 31-32. Amazing! Both men were in the helping profession, yet neither stopped to help. So often we pray, ‘Lord give me a chance to minister’, yet when He does, we miss it because either we’re too preoccupied or we’re only looking for something that’ll impress others. The danger in ‘passing by’ is that after a while you don’t even see the need anymore!

When was the last time you stopped to visit a sick neighbour? Do you even know their names? Or took time to listen to a hurting fellow believer? Or just gave a hug to somebody who was lonely? Keep your heart open today; you might get the chance to ‘pour in oil and wine’, and make a difference in somebody’s life!