INTRODUCTION: A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead.  A Samaritan helped the poor man. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then, she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?" A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up."

Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate his teaching that we are all to love our neighbors.  Someone asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”  To which Jesus replied with the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Two points from the parable: The neighbor we’re to love is anyone who is in need.  Point two: the way we’re to love this neighbor is to help meet their need through loving-kindness. 

We are in a sermon series entitled “Love as a way of life.”  We’re taking our cues on how to live lives of love from Paul’s description of love in I Corinthians 13. 

I Corinthians 13:4 “Love is kind.”

I want us to note four ways that we can grow in the area of loving-kindness today.