My Neighbor? Or...ME?

Several weeks ago I was listening to Chuck Swindol on the radio, typical for me on my way back from the gym or on my long trips to Newark or nether regions of the state. For the last few months, I've been diligent in aiming to practice more of the Spiritual Disciplines outlined in a great book I received from my room mates my senior year in college ("Disciplines of the Spiritual Life"). Oddly, I had requested as a graduation gift from them "The Spirit of the Disciplines" by Dallas Woodard but they figured this would do. I read it through every few years, challenged by the need to develop a deeper relationship to the Lord and to cultivate my faith. One of the disciplines is "learning". Not just what you get from the Sunday sermon, but a concentrated effort to learn more about Christ and everything that goes along with living out that knowledge. For me, that meant a decisive effort to listen more to Christian radio while traveling and, specifically, to sermons (not just music).  Thankfully, along my routes, there are a few stations that offer this and so I've been "learning" more here and there as travel makes it possible.

So during one of his sermons, Swindol was sharing his method of preparing for Sunday sermons. He takes a passage of scripture and then matches it against 4 things: Observation (what's going on) Inspiration (what does this say to me/how do I feel/what jumps out), Correlation (what do other verses, if any, say about this subject), and Application (what will I do as a result of what I have learned/how does what I have learned apply to me). Let me tell you--as soon as I started applying this to the scripture I read in the mornings (via Daily Bread or another devotional), my "quiet times" were transformed into devotional concerts. I leave out the "correlation" piece because my time is limited and I would probably spend too much time searching through Scripture (but I can spend 90-120 minutes working out???) but still--what I've been getting out of applying this method every morning has almost paled in comparison to what I used to do.

A few days ago the passage of the day was the parable of the Good Samaritan. Now, we've all probably read and heard countless sermons on this familiar passage. So what on earth was I going to learn that was different? Put against Swindol's method, the inspiration passage pulled out a few points...This guy left his course, got involved, sacrificed his time, his money, for a stranger...he made a follow up plan...Then the "application" piece..."Faith in action" (of course)...but I wrote, "Would I do that?  I would hope so!" 

Having never been in a position to come upon a stranger beaten and left for dead in the middle of the road, as I left for Newark that morning, I prayed on this and I had a bit of a feeling that God was going to put me to the test on this. I imagined headed North on the Parkway and witnessing an accident...would I be the first responder? Would I pull over? Get involved? Let all the "important" meetings that awaited me in Newark go to the side to be a presence to a neighbor that needed my help? YES! YES, LORD! USE ME!!!!

Until the Lord stepped in, gave me a big POKE in my heart, and shifted my vision for the ride home...Mark and I had dinner plans, would I be as likely and as willing to stop??? My sinful heart screamed, "URGH!" as I laughed aloud in prayer and said, "Ahhh, LORD! You KNOW ME! Change me!"  Sinner, that I am...

I shared this with a co-worker (another believer) while I was in Newark and about to head home. Yes, I can be a true neighbor when convenient to me...but otherwise??? The true lesson I took away...May it be less about ME and more about my neighbor...