Won't you be my neighbor?

We go about life unaware of those around us most of the time, we have our own lives and own problems, how can we find time to deal with other people’s problems and life?

We live in a non-stop world that continues to move no matter what is going on around us or in us.

Jesus lived in the same world we do, people were busy, self-focused and tried to earn a living and provide for their families.Jesus walked amongst the people, He cared for them, loved them, fed them, healed them and spoke God’s truth to them, all while doing His life, which He gave for us. He left the glory of heaven to be with us, to save us.

His life is an example of how we are to live. Jesus said to 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.”

When we learn to put God first, then our neighbors, then ourselves we will have learned the secret to living, (really it’s not a secret, it’s just obedience)

We have a hard time getting this, First, we must love God with all that we are, no exception, He must be the desire of our hearts, then we must understand that we need to love others ( our neighbors ) as ourselves.

We think to ourselves that Jesus is talking about our neighbors next door, or our close friends, or our family, or our Church family, in singular terms.

Jesus is talking about all these and more, He is talking about every man, every woman, every child we meet.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus points this out when He asks: Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?

We have it wrong when we ask who is my neighbor?

Rather we should be asking ”Who can I be a neighbor to?

God put us where we are for a reason, we must learn to serve Him where He has put us! Start by being Christ-like and love those around us as Christ loves us.

Who has God put around you that needs a friend? Who maybe dying, alone, or lost? Who are the neighbors in your life?

God’s word says this!

“Then an expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the law?” he asked him. “How do you read it?” He answered, “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.” “You’ve answered correctly,” he told him. “Do this and you will live.” But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus took up the question and said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him up, and fled, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down that road. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way, a Levite, when he arrived at the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan on his journey came up to him, and when he saw the man, he had compassion. He went over to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him. When I come back I’ll reimburse you for whatever extra you spend.’ “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”Luke‬ ‭10:25-37‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” Matthew ‬ ‭22:37-40‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law. Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t make plans to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:9-14‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another. I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things — as I warned you before — that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Galatians ‬ ‭5:13-26‬ ‭CSB‬‬

“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? Yet you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the rich oppress you and drag you into court? Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you? Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. If, however, you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all. For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”James‬ ‭2:5-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬​