Monday, August 05, 2002

"Yes, we're neighbors, but it's not my job!"

Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. (Matthew 25:46)

Often times the attitude is, "It's someone else's problem." "I can't help everyone!" "I gave at the office or church already!" "I give to Jerry's kids!"

When Jesus returns in all His glory, He brings to test true Christianity. He doesn't ask if we read the entire Bible. He doesn't ask if we put to memory the tenets of our faith. He doesn't ask if we returned a faithful tithe or gave a good offering. What He wants to know is: Did we love as He loved? Did we seek to save as He did? Did we endeavor to bless as He did?

As Scriptures says, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).

Wednesday, July 31, 2002

I Love God, But My Neighbor is too much!

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? (1 John 4:20)

What a simple test John gives for us to know whether we love God. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar."

It is easy to say I love God, but do we show it. Verbal pronouncement is great, but is not sufficient. We must corroborate our words by our deeds. By examining our relationship to our fellow men, we reveal whether our relationship with God is genuine.

One great writer said, "It is not possible for the heart in which Christ abides to be destitute of love. If we love God because He first loved, we shall love all for whom Christ died …Connected with Christ, we are connected with our fellow men by the golden links of the chain of love." Christ Object Lessons, pp. 384, 385.

Monday, July 29, 2002

Your Neighbor is Nearby

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (Luke 10:33, 34)

Often times we hear many say, "If I was just free to travel, I'll go to Africa and be a missionary." However, we don’t need to travel far because our neighbors are next door.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus shows us that our neighbors should be witnessed to. He wanted us to understand that when He said, "Go into all the world," our world was our backyards. One great writer said, "None need wait until called to some distant field before beginning to help others. Doors of service are open everywhere. All around us are those who need our help. The widow, the orphan, the sick and the dying, the heartsick, the discouraged, the ignorant, and the outcast are on every hand." Ministry of Healing, p. 152.

Friday, July 27, 2002

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matthew 22:29)

Many today believe that they are good neighbors. They say hello to one another. They know the names of each other, and in this, they are secure. However, few practice the religion of community as taught by Jesus. This is what is lacking in our society today. We have been so caught up with formalities, creeds, and doctrines that we haven't stopped to look at what God wants of us.

When Jesus taught on the religion of community, He said, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." This principle was not new, but was convincingly portrayed in the Ten Commandments as six dealt with our relationship to each another. His words were important then, and are just as important today.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Christ illustrated the religion of community. He showed that it was not to be found in systems, creeds, or rites, but in the actual giving of oneself for the betterment of another. It was to be found in the performance of loving acts of kindness, asking for nothing in return.

Are you willing this weekend to practice what Jesus has shown?

Thursday, July 25, 2002

Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee (Isaiah 60:1-2).

One of the most challenging features of the religion of Jesus Christ is that it is an experience that affects every circumstance of one's everyday life. It makes a man a better son and brother, a better husband and father. It makes him more honest in his business dealings, more faithful and diligent as a workman, and broader and more sympathetic in his interests. In all these respects his likeness to the Man of Galilee will be recognized by his family, his church, his business associates, and also his neighbor.