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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.