So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind’, and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ – Luke 10:27
REFERENCE
Luke 10:25-37
‘Love’ is one of the most frequently used words and talked about concepts, yet it is the most difficult to practice.
However, as believers, love must mark everything we do – for Jesus said, “by this shall all men know you are my disciples.”
God gave you a mandate to “love your neighbor as yourself.” This is important to God.
I John 4:20-21 says, “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”
This simply means you should treat others the way you want to be treated.
Who is your neighbor? Who are you obliged to help, seeing that the Jews will not help a Gentile not to think of a Samaritan whom they considered less than human?
Your neighbor could be anybody, just like the Samaritan was a ‘stranger’ to the ‘certain man’. He is anybody you are in a position to help or show love.
When you see people with issues, don’t think they are lazy or they chose such situations. Like this man, they just may have fallen into situations.
Every bum once had a dream and a destination, but then, life happened to them. We therefore should be sensitive enough to care and know that nobody in their right senses will choose to be on the begging and needing side of life.
Love is not a theory, it is a doing word (I John 3:18).
I pray that this will not be another love talk, but that it will turn you into a radical lover of God and man.
ADDITIONAL STUDY
I John 3:16-18 & Proverbs 3:27-28.
PRAYER
Pray for the grace to love incessantly, just like Christ did. And also ask for God to bless you so you can be a channel of blessing to others in need also.
