love thy neighbor...

reading the good samaritan story again today...paralleled w/ amos 3-4. interesting things here. in amos, israel was fat and happy. they were selling others for money, living high and good lives, and ignoring the call to be a blessing to the nations. so God speaks through this shepherd, amos, and tells them that wrath is coming for the way they were living. fast forward to the good samaritan story...the religious people had a chance to be a blessing to this poor guy who got all beat up alongside the road. but...they were too busy. or worried about what others would say. or were too consumed w/ their own agenda to realize that, regardless of where the guy was from, help was needed and they could give it. turns out this guy who wasn't jewish, who would have been considered unclean and heathen, was the only one who understood what this whole faith thing is about -- what it meant to be a blessing to his neighbor. by extending love to each other as God has extended it to us, we can be a blessing as well. will we?

who can we extend love to today?