Dear SCC & Friends,
Who is my neighbor? ~Luke 10:2
Reflection #258
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. ~John Wesley~ And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ~Lk. 10:25 Jesus knew it was a test and answered his question with a question… “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” ~Lk. 10:26 His reply was a perfect rendering of the law and closed with loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. The lawyer should have stopped there… But wishing to justify (innocent) himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ~Lk. 10:29 His religious mindset was negotiating for an “escape clause” when there really wasn’t one… Jesus made that very clear in the parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:30-37)
Our neighbor may be someone we know or even someone we don’t want to know. Our neighbor is everyone brought into our personal space… They may not have been invited or welcomed, but nonetheless there they are… By God’s grace, our personal space is to be His space so that the Holy Spirit can work through us. …the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ~Rom. 5:5 Loving our neighbor is more than reciprocating for mutual advantage… It’s more than similar interests or whether my neighbor agrees with me about politics or culture. My neighbor may not look like me, act like me, believe like me or even like me. Loving our neighbor is a call to action not only for the loveable but for those regarded as unlovable. It takes heartfelt intentionality to love our neighbor… Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. ~1 Cor. 10:24… Who is my neighbor? I think we know the answer… Keep up the good work!
Made for these days,
Kevin