"Why do we have to go to church?" - Church can be exhausting at times and it makes sense to sleep in on Sundays sometimes. However, going to church is how God molds you into who you were created to be.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.

God gave us one day to do absolutely nothing but rest. Yet, we find that life is far too busy to be able to take a break from the demand of everything on our plate. How do we honor the sabbath that God gave us and not burn ourselves out by constantly eating the bread of anxious toil? How do we get a grip on all that life throws to us?

The difference between those who passed by and the lone Samaritan was that he simply bothered to care. Despite how busy he might've been or what he might've been rushing to, he did not distance himself from the beaten man, but he grew closer. Why do we step over others who are sick and hurting? Why do we cross over to the other side of the street when we see someone a little dodgy entering our path of travel?

Loss is an inevitable reality that comes along with growing up, but Paul gives us a lens to overcome the hurt of loss.

Distance makes it hard for us to love those around us, be it emotional or physical distance. When we put ourselves close to those that need our love, it makes it easier for us to be able to do what we can when we can.

If you were a Samaritan in old times, you were not considered to be the best kind of person. It was an insult to those of mixed origin. But, it was the Samaritan, out of all the people who passed by the beaten and bruised man, who showed us how to be a good neighbor. Who are we shutting out of our lives because of a predetermined precedent? who are the neighbors that we think least of that we need the most?

You can still trust God to keep God's promises.

Our key to eternal life is to love God and our neighbor. But, we still tend to choose who we want as our neighbor despite all people being our neighbors. Then again, if we love everyone, we can't effectively love anyone well. How do we identify and eliminate excuses to truly love and know our neighbors like Christ?

In a world where it is easy to assume the worst in people, dare to love them.