Dear Friends,
Recently I heard a radio minister make the statement, “You can tell how much you love God by how much you love your neighbor.” Ouch! Who is my neighbor?
Let’s examine the question, “who is my neighbor,” starting in the Book of Luke. A man stood up who knew the Law and tried to trap Jesus. He said, “Teacher, what must I do to have life that lasts forever?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? What does the Law say?” The man said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart. You must love Him with all your soul. You must love Him with all your strength. You must love Him with all your mind. You must love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Jesus said to him, “You have said the right thing. Do this and you will have life.” The man tried to make himself look good. He asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29 NLV)
As part of The Sermon on the Mount Jesus explained, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45 NIV)
This is one part of the Scriptures that can be difficult for us to understand. Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? Should we love the man who killed nine people on a campus in Oregon, or pray for those who ridicule us for being Christians? Isn’t that asking a lot, Lord?
When we reread Matthew 5: 43-45, we noticed something that we missed before: Jesus doesn’t say to love our enemies because they are loveable; he recognizes evil and unrighteousness. Could it be he doesn’t want us to become what we hate? “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.” Romans 20:18-19a (NLT)
When you stop to think about it, it may be easier to love and pray for those “evil” and “unrighteous” people (somewhere out there) than it is to be “Samaritans” to those in our immediate neighborhoods. The Apostle James discusses the issue: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17 NIV)
We show God how much we love him by sharing our love with everyone … regardless of their lovability. Pray for your enemies and look for ways to love your neighbors. Opportunities abound: the South County Outreach needs food; the Salvation Army and Laura’s House accept donations of clothing and household goods, and of course, there is that grumpy neighbor who might just need your prayers or a kind word.
Verses for the Week: Micah 6:8 (NIV) He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 