I
want to shift our attention now from loving God with our whole being to loving
our neighbor as ourself. There are a couple of questions we needs to ask at
this point. First, who is our neighbor? Jesus answered this in a parable about
the good Samaritan. To summarize Jesus’ teaching our neighbor are those people in need who we can or do
interact with. They might be the person living next door or across the street.
It might be your co-worker in the next cubicle. It might be a homeless person
you pass by with out even really noticing. It could a be a group of people you
could minister to on a missions trip. In short, your neighbor is the person God
has placed in your path so that you can love them.
Second,
how do you show them love? To be honest I don't know, you need to listen to
their story to see how you can love them. Don’t be worried that you won’t be able to help them because if God placed them in your path
you will be equipped to serve their needs. It's important to remember that the
love we have to share is a love that comes from God. Take a look at what 1 John
4:7 says, "My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since
love comes from God." We are being God's hands and feet as we love our
neighbors.
As
we thing about how to love our neighbor we might want to think a about the
qualities of love that we can apply. Take a look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient and
kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not
insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not
rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
(ESV)
These
different qualities of love are the same qualities we need to display to our
neighbor for they are the same ones that God displays to us. 1 John 4:7 says
God is love, and so if these are qualities of love they are also qualities of
God.
For
me loving my neighbor is lived out in the passions that God has place on my
heart. One way my daughter wants to serve others was by helping to change their
flat tires. She wanted to do this driving around the Twin Cities, but I didn't
think that was all that safe. However, God knew her desire and has delivered
two people (strangers) into our driveway who needed help changing a flat tire
and my daughter was there. If you are willing and listening to God, He will
bring across your path people who need to be loved in practical ways and he
will equip you with the resources you need to show God's love to them.
So
what are the take aways today? First, the praxis of love needs to be carried
out in relationship. Love is not something that can be carried out in a vacuum.
We know that one relationship is with God, but who are the neighbors you can
develop relationships with?
Second,
when we love God we are to do it with our whole being. How are you showing God
you love Him with your passions or heart? What spiritual disciplines are you
practicing to draw your soul closer to God? Prayer, meditation, solitude,
silence? How are you studying (reading is a discipline, studying is the
exercising for your intellect) God's word and other Christian writers? How are
you allowing God to transform you?
Finally,
how can you show God's love to your neighbor? Have you listened to anyones
story lately? Has God been nudging you to interact with someone? What are your
gifts and talents that God can use to minister to others? Brandon Heath sings a
song “Give Me Your Eyes” and the chorus reads:
Give
me your eyes for just one second
Give
me your eyes so i can see
Everything
that i keep missing
Give
me your love for humanity
Give
me your arms for the broken hearted
The
ones that are far beyond my reach?
Give
me your heart for the one's forgotten
Give
me your eyes so i can see
You
see loving our neighbors is nothing more than looking around with God’s eyes and God’s love looking for
those in need of a touch from God through you.
Take
some time this week to think about these things and then respond the way God
leads you.
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