But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. Luke 10:33-34

Most of you know the story of Jesus about the man who was beaten and left for dead until a foreign Samaritan man comes and rescues this poor beaten man from certain death.

Kindness is a fruit or a sign of the Holy Spirit working in your life (Galatians 5:22-23). The man who stopped expressed extreme kindness to a person he didn’t even know. He spent his own money to save this man unlike the two other people who passed by the man earlier in the day.

Jesus reminds us to be kind, even to strangers. Be kind to those who might not even deserve kindness.

It is interesting to me that there are so many Christians who secretly advocate for and approve of the cruelty in politics. Smiles and kindness on Sunday morning, quietly cheering on policies that hurt others the rest of the week.

I saw the cheers of church people when the government decided to cut jobs without regard to performance or need. My step-son lost his job helping farmers with the USDA in those cuts and he’s still looking for employment, along with tens of thousands of now unemployed public servants.

I see the willingness to cut Medicare and Medicaid in an upcoming bill without weighing who that might affect.

I see a lot of quiet agreement to things that hurt people.

In case you didn’t know, there are ways to trim governmental spending that minimizes cruelty. This does not have to be an “all or nothing” proposition. A way forward doesn’t have to be a black or white issue, solutions are often found in the gray areas.

Solomon wrote, The person who reveres God will avoid all extremes. Ecclesiastes 7:18

Kindness and taking care of one another are fruits of the Holy Spirit… and not just on Sundays.

God bless,
Pr. Ben