You need wealth to be a good Samaritan
"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’"
- Luke 10:33-35 (New King James Version)
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I can distinctly recall an occasion where I was getting my hair done and had grabbed some fast food for myself. I remember wanting to offer to get some food for my beautician too but only had enough in my account for my hair and that quick meal (don't judge me lol). God used that experience to speak to me about how much better it is for us to have plenty so that we can not only take care of ourselves, but be generous toward others too.
When I look at the good Samaritan, I see a beautiful picture of wealth. Not only did he have resources like oil, wine & cash to take care of the wounded man, but he had TIME too. He was wealthy in both money and time and, out of that wealth, he was able to comprehensively help someone in need. Later in this passage, Jesus encouraged His listeners to "go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37). Of course He was talking about showing compassion (which, high key, we need to be "wealthy" in too) but you can't deny how much easier it is to actually act on the love in your heart for people when you have abundant resources at your disposal to do so.
Love in your heart ain't never helped anybody.
It ain't helped you either. We gotta put action behind our love toward others (and toward ourselves!) if it's ever going to mean anything. And demonstrating that love with wealth is one of many beautiful ways to do it. If you're wrestling with whether or not it's ok to build wealth right now, just remember this: It's hard to be a good Samaritan when you ain't got no money.
Still hungry? Eat some more //
- Deuteronomy 8:18 → God gives us the power to get wealth.
- Matthew 25:14-30 → I believe that "power" comes in the form of our talents, or our skills & gifts that God gives us to provide value in exchange for money (including our businesses).
- Ephesians 4:28 → Work those talents so that you CAN give. If you're out here acting like I was with my beautician situation, you still got work to do