Loving thy Neighbor

Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.38  This is the first and great commandment.39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The Lord Jesus stated that loving our neighbor is compared to our love for God. Look at it. Love God will all our heart, and soul and mind and the second is like unto the first – Love they neighbor as thyself. As I have been reading through Proverbs the past couple of weeks, a passage has stuck with me.   I can not get it out of my mind.

Proverbs 3:27-35 (NKJV) Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you. 29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor,  For he dwells by you for safety’s sake. 30 Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm.

31 Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways; 32 For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, But His secret counsel is with the upright. 33 The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the home of the just. 34 Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. 35 The wise shall inherit glory,

• Withholding is not a good thing.
• Do not delay helping when it is within your power to do so.
• Reaching out to those in need is an act of wisdom.

For example:

• I have $2.00 to buy me a diet coke and as I am approaching the check out, there is a mom who is buying baby formula but is $2.00 short. All I have is $2.00. Do I have the ability to help?
• I am home watching my favorite tv show. I got a phone call and someone needs me to take them to the doctor. Do I have the time?
• A young girl finds herself expecting and needs a place to stay. I have three rooms that I am using as storage. Do I have room to keep her?
• A boy has no father in his life and needs someone to teach him to play baseball but I have to the golf course, Do I have time?
• The church needs cleaning but I want to clean my oven even though I just cleaned it two days ago, do I have time to help clean the church?
• My neighbor’s car broke down and needs to get to the store. My car runs fine but I have driven all day and just do not want to drive anymore. Do I have the ability to drive them to the store?
• The widow lady’s washer is broken down and I am a repair man. Do I have the ability to fix it?

Luke 10:29-37 -But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, 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 on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Three men all on the same path in life.
One a religious priest – religious.
One a Levite – religious.
One a Samaritan – despised by religious crowd.
Only one became a neighbor.
God is not looking for religious people.
God is looking for committed people.

Question of the day: Are you religious or are you committed?

Being a good neighbor will:

1. Cost you.
2. Inconvenience you.
3. Take you out of your comfort zone.
4. Possibly change eternity for someone.
5. Is it worth your time?