A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They took his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too a teacher of the law. When he came to the place and saw the man passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, took pity on him. He bandaged his wounds, put the man on his own donkey, and took him to an inn to take care of him. The next day, he gave money to the innkeeper and said, look after this man, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have. Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? Asked Jesus. Someone answered, the one who had mercy on the man. And Jesus said, go and do likewise. Luke ten, verses 30 through 37. One day at recess, Johnny's fifth grade class played kickball. Kevin and Susie were captains, and each took turns picking players one by one. Johnny's classmates were picked, first Sam, then Robin, then Kylie, then Jordan, and so on, until only Kathy and Johnny were left. It was Kevin's turn to pick, and Johnny was sure that Kevin would pick him. But Kevin picked Kathy instead. Johnny felt bad because he was chosen last of all. He felt even worse when he heard Susan say, well, I guess I'll have to have Johnny on my team. It's not fun to be the last one chosen. It's not fun to be bullied and pushed around. It's not fun to feel unwanted, unappreciated, unloved, and not very important to anyone. Sadly, that's the way a lot of people treat other people. But God is very different. The Bible tells us that God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians one four. When we read the gospels, we often see Jesus choosing the very people that others ignored, overlooked, or treated badly in some other way. It's almost like he went out of his way to let the least popular people know that they were special to him. And he told the story of the Good Samaritan to teach people to do the same thing. The next time you see someone who looks lonely or sad, say hello. Hang out with them for a while and just treat them kindly. You might be the only person to do so all day. And I assure you that God will smile when he sees you do that.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to [email protected]. Have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the.