Love your neighbor
“And to love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any longer. (Mark 12: 33-34 HCSB)
Loving God and displaying that same love for others is a huge part of God’s character. When a scribe approached Jesus in Mark 12 and Jesus saw that he understood both the importance of loving God as well as others, Jesus was pleased. In fact, he even told him that his understanding of this important scripture alone had him on the right path to heaven.
Q: Why is the need for us to love both God and people a big part of God’s design?
Q: What does this say about God’s character?
People back in the days of Jesus could recite the original version from Deuteronomy 6. If home décor stores as they exist now existed back then, you would see it printed on a tea towel or find that saying displayed as art work above their living room couch. But while they could easily quote the saying, many had lost its meaning. Many of the religious leaders had lost touch with who their neighbors were. Jesus knew this, even calling them out in a parable as told in Luke chapter 10. Jesus describes a Jewish man going to Jericho who is robbed and beaten. A priest and a Levite pass by the man, but both ignored him, crossing the street to move by. It takes someone from Samaria, who would not have associated with Jewish people back then, to show mercy and take care of this man. He not only bandages his wounds, but also takes him to an inn, takes care of him, and pays the innkeeper to watch over him while he’s gone. This is the way God designed us to take care of each other.
“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said. Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”(Luke 10: 36-37 HCSB)
Jesus Mirror’s love for each other as God designed it
“When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today I must stay at your house.” (Luke 19: 5 HCSB)
Jesus made people feel seen. We see this in the story of Zacchaeus, who was a tax collector. It was known that he would steal money from those he collected taxed from. He was living a life of sin. But when he heard that Jesus was going to coming through town, he made every effort just to see Him. He was too short to see over the crowds, so he climbed up a tree. When Jesus stopped, looked, and called him by name, he felt seen. While he ate with Jesus at his house, he was so convicted just by being in the same room with Him that he confessed and repented of his sin. That also shows how well Jesus knows our hearts, but if He had kept walking by, Zacchaeus might have continued his sinful ways. Being seen moved his heart.
Q: Who made a difference in your life by making you felt seen?
Q: Who in your life can you take the time to make them feel seen?
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6: 37 HCSB)
Don’t judge others, as we are not perfect
When you judge others, you open yourself up to that same judgement. That’s not our role in all this. Even Jesus, who was perfect, told us that he did not come to earth to condemn the world. He was here to save it thanks to His love for us. We should then also chose love over judgement. There was a time when God appointed judges, who would rule right vs. wrong on his behalf. That also brought many issues, as we humans tend to mess things up. It’s not our job to judge others according to God’s laws. Part of our flaws, as people, is that we see the actions and base our judgement on that. God see’s our hearts. Only God can judge. Now the Bible does say that we can use God’s standards as seen through the Bible to call out sin in other believers. But there’s a difference between calling out a sinful action in love vs. judging someone as a person based on what they did.
“Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7: 47-48 HCSB)
Forgive
The other part of that verse in Luke 6 is forgiveness, which we also see play out in Luke 7. Jesus is invited to dinner with a Pharisee. The Pharisee questioned Jesus because he let a woman who was a sinner, wash His feet with her tears and pour oil on them. Meantime, Jesus called out the fact that the whole time he had been there, the Pharisee never offered Jesus water to wash his feet, never offered kisses, and never anointed his head with oil. Instead, he judged her. Forgive others as we want to be forgiven. The forgiveness of our sins is something that we should repay by forgiving others. This is a heart issue. When you are having a hard time forgiving someone, you can almost feel your heart get harder. It tightens up. But when you forgive, you feel that release as you let those burdens go. That tells me a lot about how God designed our bodies. When you forgive big, it shows you love big. So forgive, as God wants us to forgive.
“Learn to do what is good…Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.” (Isaiah 1: 17 HCSB)
Have compassion
Compassion for someone is a sign of love. God wants us to take care of each other. He specifically points out orphans, widows, and the sick. In the verse from Isaiah, he is talking to Jerusalem and how they can purify themselves. But that’s a good look into what God’s plan is for us. Yes, God wants to take care of us. But he wants us to show our gratitude by turning around and doing the same for others. Like the Good Samaritan, let your actions show your love in how you have compassion for one another. There’s a humility in loving others in this way, as we are putting others needs above our own. Many times in His ministry, Jesus showed compassion with people, because of His love for them. We also don’t need to try and fix everything. Sometimes, we just need to be there for that person.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15 HCSB)
Q: Do the words we chose show this kind of love, or are they critical? What about towards our children?
God’s design wants us to live in community with each other
We see this in the book of Acts as the early churches were starting. Through community, we can encourage, inspire, rebuke in love…all things intended to help us grow in God’s love. God wants us to enjoy life with others. God created a beautiful garden to walk in with Adam and Eve. Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine while going to a wedding with family and friends. Jesus would attend celebrations and festivals. Medical evidence shows that people in blue zone countries, which has the highest percent of people living to 100, often times live in community with one another.
Q: What distracts you from living more in community with others?