Love Your Neighbor

How easily we can focus on the wrong question...  

Jesus was asked: "And who is my neighbor?" 

Jesus replied with a story about a person who had been attacked by robbers who beat him, stripped him of his clothes and left him half dead.  The first two people to come by were religious people, passing him by.  A third person was unacceptable to the religious people, and yet he was the one who stopped to help and went out of his way to care for the injured man.  

The issue isn't who is my neighbor...

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to this man?"

The one who had mercy on him. 

Jesus told him, 
     "Go and do likewise." LUKE 10:36-37

We're called to BE the neighbor!

Frank Laubach once wrote:

What would it look like to be as wide open to people and their needs as I am toward God? 

God working IN me is essential!  First, I need to be wide open to God!  The more fully I experience his mercy, grace and love, the more fully His nature grows in me.  Paul talks about it as the fruit of the Spirit:

...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
GALATIANS 5:22

It becomes a way of living...

BE a neighbor!

Credit for this post goes to my friend Sue, who reminded a group of this important perspective in the midst of a discussion yesterday!

Time in Relationship Builds Trust

Living a life of faith is an interesting journey.  In the 30 years since Jesus captured my heart I've experienced such a wide range of responses to the love and peace that only He brings. 

I believe Jesus' invitation to us is simple: "Walk with me, see life through my eyes, do things my way - always through love, and experience true life for all eternity."  

A wise person once told me that there is no static place with Jesus, you are either growing closer to Him, or further from Him. 

The writer of Hebrews describes faith in this way:
The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.  HEBREWS 11:1-2 (MSG)

It is through this faith, we have a perspective on life.  By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.  HEBREWS 11:3 (MSG)

What enables a person to walk through life in faith? 

Trust!

Merriam-Webster defines trust as
  : belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, effective, etc.
  : assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something 
  : one in which confidence is placed

Relationships take time to develop.  

In the beginning, we see what a person does and hear what they say without understanding their motivations.  By spending time with a person, we begin to understand how they think and what's in their heart.  When someone is always and absolutely FOR US, trust develops.  When you know someone has your back, you're more willing to risk and stretch.  


Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
    for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
    for to you I entrust my life.  PSALM 143:8




Knowing about a person is different than knowing a person. Time together is the only way to develop the depth of relationship that produces trust.  Learning about a person from another is different that getting to know that person myself.  By spending time together, I can ask questions, gain a better understanding of who they are.  In this space I learn to trust or distrust.  

Will you spend time with the Lord to learn of his love and faithfulness?

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations.  PSALM 100:5

The LORD has provided His part of the conversation in the words of the Bible.
The more I spend time with Him, the more I understand the depth of His love.

Spend some time each day in His Word and learn of his faithfulness for yourself!
Don't delay... Just do it!