FJWL_02:419
        
(Dad:) The Lord is breaking your heart for the brethren. You're seeing what it feels like to really love and care and take care of others. That is what maturity is, when you can take care of others and put the needs of others above your own. That's what love is all about. That's what being your brother's keeper is all about. That's what shepherding is all about.
         Sometimes it seems easier to ignore things around you. It seems so much easier to just close your eyes sometimes or look the other way. But you can't. Even if you see others looking the other way, you can't, because you know the Lord is calling you to do more. You can't look away, just like the good Samaritan couldn't. He couldn't just pass by the poor man on the road to Jericho, he had to do something about it.
         Now think about it. Did you ever think that maybe the Samaritan would have preferred to be on his merry way to get on with his business or pleasure or whatever he was on his way to do, and not have to be bothered with this pitiful mess of a guy he found on the road? Don't you think maybe the Samaritan was tempted to think that it would have been easier to just pass the guy up? Well, I've got news for you--that is exactly what he was tempted with. But he made the right choice. He made the right decision. He heard the voice of the Lord and he obeyed, he did the right thing, and now we have his sample to follow.
         The Lord wants us all to feel responsible for each other. That's what love is all about!



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