Jesus was a special man. The more you look into his earthly ministry, the more you recognize the type of people he used to make his case. The outcast. The unwanted. The disliked. The discriminated. The unlikely. These are the people he used greatly to further his kingdom, whether it was Mary Magdalene, Zacchaeus, the Syrophoenician woman, or the disciples. I mean just consider the make up of the 12, a thief, stinky fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, a young buck.

Nevertheless, there was a group of people that we see in the gospels that often put even the disciples to shame, the Samaritans. They were from the other side of the city, despised and resented by Jesus’ people, yet God elevated them and used them to teach Heaven’s most glorious principles, and even though their feelings were mutual, God’s mercy on them was unparalleled even when Jesus’ friends wanted to cast down fire.

Anyway, some key people from the other part of town were the good Samaritan, who teaches us love in a pure and selfless form; the Samaritan woman (two additional strikes against her being a woman and an adulteress), who demonstrates the power of the gospel and evangelism; the Samaritan leper (one additional strike against him as a leper), who exemplifies the heart of thankfulness.

When you really dissect these stories, we see the heart of Christ for every one; even those no one else wanted to be bothered with, God used for His glory. The same applies to us. No matter how insignificant, out of touch, outcast, overlooked, or cast down you may feel, you are right in line to be used mightily by the King of all creation. There’s a quote that says God has a way of using those the world calls “nobodies,” which is true. For it’s the most unlikely, the despised, the lowly whom God says will shake up the world (1 Cor 1:26-28).

God can use whoever He wants to do whatever He pleases for His kingdom business. So let the Lord use you no matter what streets or people or crazy background you come from. Be you for a purpose, because you just may be the one to turn the hearts of those around you that no one else can [and beyond] back to God.