Today's blog post is a question. I think it is a good question to ask ourselves. We are told at least 12 times in God's word (KJV Version) to love one another. But twice Jesus tells us to "love our neighbor as we love ourselves" (Mark 12:31 and Matthew 22:39). He spoke this as a commandment. If we take a moment and look at all of the evil things people do to each other, we see that many of us fail at loving our neighbor.
Life isn't like it used to be when I was growing up. Neighbors looked after one another. If you lack something, you could get it from someone else. If you need a babysitter, your neighbor would look after your child, for free. If you need a cup of sugar or milk or bread, you could get it from a neighbor. If you saw your neighbor sitting on the porch, you would scream out hello. If they needed prayer, you would pray for them. If there was a need, it was met. Love was a true action word back in the day. Where is it now? Can you answer the question above truthfully? Are you loving your neighbor as yourself? Are you abhorring Jesus' command?
Mark 12:30-31 NLT: "And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Prayer: Father God, Your word tells us to love You with all of our heart, soul, mind and our strength. We love because You first loved us. We have allowed the concerns of the world to change us to the point that we don't even speak to our neighbor. Show us how to love our neighbor as we love ourselves; as You so command. Help us to realize that no matter the offense, we still must love one another just as You love us despite our sin against You. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen