Love Your Neighbor

          OK today’s devotionals were short and did not produce anything in me that I felt note worthy, but last nights connection meeting at the church followed in the path of yesterdays thoughts.  We are called to do God’s will, but in doing so we are also called to love.  We are to love God and we are to love others.  I am finding myself more and more caring of those around me.  Not that I was not before, but I can feel God’s love growing inside of me.  I am especially concerned with those who are lost and looking for God in their lives, but are not sure how to go about it when they are so caught up with the sin in their life that is a part of this world we are stuck in.

          I am sure that we have all heard this verse repeated in a few places in the Bible, but it is one that we need to hear over and over again to drive it home and make it a part of our daily make up of who we are as Christians.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So we hear this all the time and wonder how in the world are we to love all those around us especially when there are times that we would much rather do just the opposite.  Rick touched on a verse out of 1 Thessalonians 4:9 last night that we should take to heart.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

          Wait I do not remember God teaching me anything.  Really?  What about the entire story of Jesus while He was here on this earth in human form, giving up everything that He had in Heaven with His Father, coming done here and being ridiculed, persecuted, tortured, and killed by us humans.  And why?  For us, because of His love for us regardless of how we treated Him and still do today.  If we really, truly loved Him today, would we not be breaking our backs to do everything and anything that He has called us to do?  Can we start by loving our neighbor the same way that Christ loves us?