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What is a neighbor?
My first initial thought to this question is my neighbor next door… DUH! What about if I ask “What is a neighbor in the Bible?”. The response tends to be a little different. Luke draws out several verses and tells us the exact definition of a who a neighbor is and how we’re to treat that neighbor…
Today’s post comes to you from Nancy Overton. Nancy has seen some struggles from the Christian world and would like to share some thoughts with you today.
Take it away Nancy –
What is a neighbor – through Jesus’ definition? The book of Luke says a Lawyer stood up and tempted Jesus asking what he should do to inherit eternal life? Jesus asked him what is written in the law? The man answered:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. Luke 10:27
Jesus said yes. In verse 29 the lawyer is asking Jesus who he should consider as his neighbor? Verse 30 – 37 Jesus tells the lawyer of a story… He tells us all who we should consider our neighbor to be…
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
He that shows us mercy in times of trouble… Our “neighbor” you see isn’t just considered to be the person living next door to you, Our neighbor is the one who helps us or cares for us in our time of trouble, loves us and prays for us. Basically a friend to us. Jesus told us to love one another because he first loved us.
Maybe some of us in the world today have been hurt by others instead of helped by others. We may tend to shut the world out as to not desire to get close to anyone because we think we are going to get hurt again. This could mean fear from being lied to again, used again, gossiped about, or ignored. Whatever the case may be, we must remember that God never intended on us being alone. We were created to fellowship with one another as we will do, if you’re saved by the grace of God, once we reach eternity and to commune with God.
Sure, sometimes we must all find some time to be alone and study God’s word, but this isn’t the “alone” I’m talking about. I’m talking about isolating ourselves from the Christian community and isolating ourselves from people we need to reach out to and show Jesus’ love to. They isolate themselves off from others and not to just enjoy the peace and quiet, but instead to get away from people for the fear of being hurt again by others.
Have you ever had a friend or family member betray you? Are you tired from hearing of the sins of the world and your heart aching from all the evil and long for the day you will be in Heaven? Are you tired of gossip and lies spreading through your church? Are you wanting to go to church but you can’t ” afford to” or haven’t been invited or when you go you feel “less” than everyone there? Whatever has you thinking that you are to isolate yourself from meeting new people and making new friendships because fear of being hurt, I urge you to remember that you are a child of God with the same right as the next child of God and that he loves you very much.
Now isn’t the time for Christians to isolate themselves from friends but rather the time to stand up and encourage one another in our faith.
Do not let the sins of others cause you to sin or halt in your fellowship with Christ. Their sins of gossip, spreading rumors, and judging others will cause you to shut the world out at times resulting in your light within you to burn out.
God has a plan for you.
If you’re a child of God, remember:
Love with a humble heart.
Forgive so you may be forgiven.
Pray without ceasing
And obey God.
Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
In this also will be your opportunity to be and to show an example of Christ teachings to others. Your opportunity to draw near to the Lord and he will draw near to you. This is also your opportunity to trust the Lord and grow in faith. In return, by your example of obedience and responding by faith, the Lord will bless you and it is their opportunity to see their sin, confess it, and may even come to know Christ as well.
In closing I would like to say… Love your neighbor as yourself. Encourage and uplift your brothers and sisters in Christ through your faith in the Lord. Prepare for troubled times because they are sure to come. Decide beforehand how you will choose to react. Spend some time alone with God and ask him to help prepare your heart and mind. We are on this earth to learn how to live in a heavenly holy place…
Let’s all try to learn to be better children of God and “neighbors” as well.
Wow! What a faith-filled lesson Nancy had in store for us today! This helps me remember that I need to watch my actions and treat everyone as a “neighbor”. Not just my neighbor next door!
Very uplifting and encouraging!
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