The Great Commandment
What would happen if every follower of Jesus took the Great Commandment literally? What if we actually got to know our neighbors and loved them the way God loves us?
And He (Jesus) answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:25-27 (ESV)
Our purposes as a church are to Worship God, Grow Spiritually, and Share the Gospel and our gifts. Can you think of a better way to SHARE the Gospel and SHARE your life than this?
Bible Text
Numbers 13:17-33 tells the story of the twelve Israelite spies sent into the land of Canaan.
The difference was perspective. Joshua and Caleb saw the land but they believed God’s promises and trusted His faithfulness. They were not afraid.
The ten spies assumptions of what the people thought of them was based on their own fears and it had nothing to do with reality. That perception changed, when they actually talked to the people.
The Fear Factor
One of the side effects of the 24 hours news phenomenon is that it can cause us to suspicious and fearful of those we don’t know. When we turn on the TV and see and hear about all of the brokenness in our world, it shapes our world view and our view of others. We can start to think that there is a terrorist on every bus or plane, and we imagine there is a kidnapper behind every tree.
We are afraid of a lot of things, but loving our neighbors should not be one of them. Jesus commanded us to do this, so He will give us the courage, strength, and power to do it.
Being a good neighbor is not a guarantee to make everyone your friend. There will be some who are more fearful than you are. There will be others who just don’t like you. But if you start taking some of these little steps, you will start building relationships. There will be some who need a friend, are too busy to enjoy life, or maybe they are starting to look for answers. God has placed you in their neighborhood at this point in time to show them His love and to be a neighbor.
