But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ — Luke 10:29 (NIV)
This is the question that prompts Jesus to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan.
In the parable, Jesus delivers a clear message: It isn’t about who is or who isn’t your neighbor. It’s about loving others. We are called to love as if the whole world was our neighbor.
Today is World Refugee Day, a day focused on people who have been forced to flee their homes because of violence and persecution. And, perhaps more than any other group, these often forgotten, hurting people need you to remember that they, too, are your neighbors.
We’re living through a global refugee crisis of massive proportions.
More than 65 million people have been displaced. That means there are more refugees now that there have been since World War II — and more than half of them are children.
Far from home, they can feel tempted to lose hope. But you can fight hopelessness with the hope that comes through Jesus Christ. You can demonstrate His love through your compassion.
Many refugees in the Middle East are dreading the summer and its extreme heat. Without food supplies or enough water, the heat and dehydration makes people sick, and fear plunges them into darkness.
These people are your neighbors, and your love can bring light into their dark situations.
For $35, you can provide $189 worth of lifesaving aid to one refugee.
That’s enough to help him or her through the scorching summer heat and show how much you care.
This World Refugee Day, your love can bring light into the darkness for one refugee. You can be a neighbor to someone in desperate need. And you can radiate the love of Christ.