Neighbor part 2
Would you be my, could you be my, won't you be my neighbor? Even in the not so distant future, that word "neighbor" meant something. I think we've possibly lost a lot of it these days... I think it went the way of family dinners. People don't seem to want to know their neighbors anymore. Much less treat them like family. But the Bible uses the phrase, the idea, of loving your neighbor, alot. Even so far that we've made it the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated... love your neighbor as yourself. And I think this is note worthy: The word "neighbour" in Luke 10:27 is number 4139 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "Near; close; fellow (man)." So I can see that as the person that lives next door. But I can see that even more as anybody that comes into your path. Your fellow man. Love anybody (and everybody) near you. Don't discriminate. Don't try to figure out if someone is worthy of love. That's too hard. Simplify it. Everybody is worthy of love. As one of my favorite movies says, "Deserve's got nothing to do with it." It doesn't matter who they are, or what they've done, or what they're going to do. You can love them. And that doesn't mean enable. That doesn't mean give them everything they want. I've found that getting what you want can be the worst thing in the world. Because sometimes, when you actually get what you (think you) want... you find out that you don't want it. But if see someone in NEED, that's a horse of a different color. If you see someone who NEEDS help, and you can help them, I think you should do it. And, like I've said before, don't worry about feeling "lead." Those who are lead by the Spirit are called--or identified as--the Son(s) of God. And the Spirit is love. So what else could it possibly lead you to do but love? I'm a pretty hard guy to bother. But it drives me crazy when "Christians" refuse to love people because they don't agree with what that person is doing. You don't have to agree with it. You don't have to understand it--shocker, I know. You can still love people. You can always love people. Because God always loves you. In your worst moments He was still there, loving you. He swore He would never leave you nor forsake you. God is not your neighbor, He lives directly inside you! It is His heart beating with love in your chest. That's why we CAN love... because we ARE loved. Because we are LOVE. And if the God who is love loves you even when you're at your worst, you can love people even when they're doing something you wouldn't do. And, again, I'm not saying you should enable them. Sometimes saying no to someone is the best way to love them. The best way to help them. But you don't have to cross to the other side of the street and avoid them, either. Not when they truly need help and you can meet that need. I've long said the hardest people to love are the people that need love the most. Because they aren't getting any. So if you know it, throw it. If you've got it, give it away. Share it. We destroy our enemies by making them our friends, right? Kill 'em with kindness? Heap fiery coals on their heads in order to melt their hearts? We're all in this together. We're all neighbors. And we CAN all be friends. Because (and I might pick up on this tomorrow) its really hard to love someone without also liking them. Even if you start out NOT liking them. Love softens our hearts towards each other. Love builds bridges. It is the bond that keeps us together!