ISOB curriculum and books link
Loving Your
"Neighbor"
Matthew 22:34-40 says,
"34 But when the Pharisees heard that He had
silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question,
testing Him, and saying,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the
law?"
37 Jesus said to him," 'You shall love the LORD
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 "This is the first and great commandment.
39 "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.'
40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and
the Prophets.""
"It is he who saved
us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that
was his plan" (2 Timothy 1:9 LB).
We
can only "love the Lord" if we obey His commands, (John 14:21-23).
He commands us to love our neighbor. Therefore we are not loving the Lord if
we do not love our neighbor. Also,
there is a law, just as reliable as gravity, even more, called sowing and
reaping.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a
man sows, that he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7).
"Blessed are
the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).
Quoted from Chris Tiegreen in Walk
With God.
The Merciful
I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow
to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. JONAH
4:2
IN WORD. One of the more colorful examples of the need for
mercy in the Old Testament is a negative example: Jonah. He knew that God was a
compassionate God, and he did not want God to show compassion to the Ninevites.
So he disobeyed. When he was compelled to obey, he complained. Somehow, the
compassion of God did not translate into the compassion of Jonah.
Do we find ourselves in such a predicament? Having been
abundantly blessed with God's mercy-the unmerited grace and forgiveness we've
received for our rebellion against the Most High-do we then stand in judgment
of others? The idea is ludicrous, but nearly all of us are guilty. Jesus has a
Beatitude HE would like us to hear: "Blessed are the merciful, for they
will be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7). The implication is sobering: Those who
are not merciful will not be shown mercy. That has to hurt. We know it has
applied, at least in some degree, to each of us.
Those who have not shown mercy have never understood
God's. They just don't get it. They don't understand the depths from which
we've been saved and the relative pettiness with which we judge others. They
still think an attainable righteousness is the key, and they compel others to
strive for it.
IN DEED. Have you ever found yourself passing judgment on
someone else and then remembering the guilt that we have all shared before God?
That is the prompting of the Holy Spirit, reminding us that we, too, are worthy
of judgment and unworthy of mercy. Let the reminder sink in. God overflows with
compassion for those who are lost and sinful, and if we are to be like Him at
all, we must share that compassion. We must understand mercy.
Do you wish to receive mercy? Show mercy to your neighbor.
John Chrysostom
The Good Samaritan is Jesus'
word to us.
God's
gifts and callings are different for different people, however His command to
all of us is stated in the story of the Good Samaritan. Jesus said, "Go and do
likewise." All of us have a
calling to show mercy on those who have been wounded.
Luke 10:25-37
"25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and
tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal
life?"
26 He said to him, "What is written in the law?
What is your reading of it?"
27 So he answered and said," 'You shall love the
LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength,
and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"
28 And He said to him, "You have answered rightly;
do this and you will live."
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
30 Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man
went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him
of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 "Now by chance a certain priest came down that
road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 "Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the
place, came and looked, 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.
34 "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an
inn, and took care of him.
35 "On the next day, when he departed, he took out
two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him;
and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'
36 "So which of these three do you think was
neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"
37 And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."
Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise.""
Quote from Rick Warren
The apostle John taught
that our loving service to others shows that we are truly saved. He said, "Our
love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life" (1 John
3:14 CEV).
If I have no love for
others, no desire to serve others, and I'm only concerned about my needs, I
should question whether Christ is really in my life. A saved heart is one that
wants to serve.
If
I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and I'm only concerned
about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life. A saved
heart is one that wants to serve.
Your call to salvation included your call to service. They are the same. Regardless of your job or career, you are called to full-time Christian service. A "non-serving Christian" is a contradiction in terms.