The Baptist preacher in town had spent a lot of time trying to convince a certain man that he ought to come to church. When pressed for a reason why he would not attend the worship services, the man finally admitted, “I don’t have any clothes that are good enough to wear to your church.”

Not to be deterred, the preacher took the man shopping and bought him a new suit. “There,” he said. “Now you have no reason not to be in church this Sunday.”

Sunday came, and the man did not show up for church. After the service, the preacher stormed over to his house and demanded an explanation. “I bought you a brand new suit, and you still didn’t come to church! What happened?”

“Well,” the man answered, “I got dressed this morning, and looked so good that I decided to go and join the Presbyterian church!”

Sometimes people don’t appreciate what we do for them. However, the basis for our good deeds should not depend on the response of those we help. We have no record of how the man reacted after the Good Samaritan helped him (Luke 10:25-37). We are simply told to love our neighbors by doing our best to take care of their needs.

Any appreciation we might receive is just a bonus.