Who Is My Neighbour

The commonly held belief is that our neighbour is a person who lives in close proximity to us, and is likely not a member of our immediate family.ย  We also think of a neighbour as someone who we have known for some time, and have a neighbourly relationship with.ย  However, as in the verse quoted by the lawyer, Jesus introduced a completely new definition of oneโ€™s neighbour.ย  To Jesus a neighbour is anyone you may come into contact with in your journey through life.ย  It could be a member of your immediate family or a person who you have never met.

As Christians we are called to love even our enemies, and to respond in mercy to those in need, regardless of color, creed or social standing.ย  When we see someone in need physically, emotionally or spiritually that person immediately becomes our neighbour, and God expects us to reach out in love, mercy and compassion.ย  The challenge Christians are faced with is to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.ย  Such love can only be the product of an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Luke 10:27ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ€˜And he (a lawyer)ย answering said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,ย  and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.โ€™ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 

Luke 10:28ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ€˜And Jesus said unto him, You have answered right; do this and you shall live.โ€™

Luke 10:29ย ย ย ย ย ย ย โ€˜But the lawyer wanted to justify himself, and said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?โ€™

Romans 13:10ย  โ€˜Love does noย harm to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Who do you consider to be your neighbour?

Do you believeย you are your โ€˜neighbourโ€™sโ€™ย keeper?

How can we โ€˜love our neighbour as ourselves?โ€™

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Representing Jesus

Today, I asked myself the question, โ€œhow well am I representing Jesus?โ€ ย This was a thought provoking question. Hopefully, we are concerned about how we represent, our family, our place of employment, our church, a political party or leader, a sports team or group that we are associated with but how concerned are we about how we represent Jesus?

We read in scripture.

2 Corinthians 5:20ย Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Ephesians 2:10ย For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

John 15:16ย You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Mark 8:38ย If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Fatherโ€™s glory with the holy angels.โ€

Am I ashamed to mention His name except as a curse word?

Do I speak His name as readily as I would speak about a loved one?

Thought provoking questions!