Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
- Mary Elisha
- Dec 23, 2016
- 4 min read
” Love your neighbor as yourself” this phrase has been ringing through my mind by the Holy Spirit during prayer and evermore so his season. The Lord has been really teaching me and challenging me on brother love. If anyone were to ask you do you love Jesus? Most of us would say “yes of course I love God no doubt about it” but, if you love God do you love people, do you love those he has placed right next to you. Do you love your neighbor as yourself? That is one of the many challenges the Lord has brought to my attention as I would say many times through out the day in my heart, during worship and prayer Jesus I love you and he immediately spoke to me and said “then feed my sheep”. At first I was a little surprised when he speaks so clear and directly hence the blog, youtube channel and the bible study he has me now leading. Then the second challenge which was a few weeks ago as I said again to my beloved bridegroom (sighing affectionately) “Jesus I love you” and he said “if you love me then love your neighbor as yourself”. Again I was like well, okay…okay (check, dang Holy Spirit) as the Holy spirit reminded how I strongly desired to do mission work, to travel and tell people about Jesus but, have I even gotten an opportunity to know my own neighbors, talk to them share Christ with them? Lets be honest how many of us proclaim to love Jesus but don’t really like people lol So may this blog challenge you today especially this holiday to love your neighbor as yourself.
Matthew 22:34-40 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
So the Lord put it on my heart to knock on each of my neighbors doors and tell them that Jesus loves them and if they needed prayer for anything. The funny thing is for a girl that witnesses all the time to strangers this was terrifying lol I can talk to people I might not see again but to speak to my neighbors on all four floors in apartment complex I just couldn’t muster the courage, I know sad. I asked my brothers in Christ to go with me but they didn’t seem down (sidenote don’t ever look for others to go with you when God is asking you to be obedient to him. Listen and obey). So you can guess I didn’t listen and of course the Lord chastised me in prayer that week and had to repent for disobedience as he gave me the rhema
“Give an example of blind generous obedience or you will scandalized those I have called you to be an example of”
I was called to be an example of obedience and brotherly love to my brothers in Christ. As believers we are all called to be example of Christ in all that we do, you never know who is watching or better yet who the Lord wants to impact by your willingness to obey and perform generous acts of kindness. So as I came before the Lord he gave me another idea this week to get gifts for each of my neighbors and present it to them for Christmas. Which I will be doing today! So what does that mean to love your neighbor as yourself. It means too treat people like you would yourself, to talk to them as you would talk to yourself, to clean after them as you would yourself, to help them as you would help yourself, to love them as you love yourself. Despite the way they treat you, talk to you, approach you, react towards you, say to you, intentions towards you, unbeliever or not or You just love people and allow God to do the rest. I love this scripture because you cant say you know God and not love! haha
So below are some ideas and most I have done btw 🙂 the Lord gave me to be love our neighbors:
Take out your neighbors trash-especially if you live in apartment complex you see your neighbors trash outside their door, don’t ask just take it out for them 🙂
Pay for someone’s meal who is behind you or in front of you in line or a drive thru, or a restaurant
Buy plenty of holiday cards, write personal encouraging notes in them ( I call them love note and hand it to random people)
Put loves notes on peoples windshield
Pray for someone whiles your Christmas shopping . People are in desperate need of encouragement, hope and love this holidays that is the cheapest and most rewarding thing to do!
Give your neighbors gift for Christmas could be cards, candy canes, cookies etc
Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while let them know they were on your mind and how you could pray for them…that just came to me lol I love it and will do it on Christmas!!
When grocery shopping bless someone with a prayer
Give generously to those in need homeless and without food
Tip nice for the waiters this holiday if you go out to eat then pray with them!
1 John 4;38 The person who doesn’t love does not know God, because God is love.
Wow powerful scripture, powerful truth. So who is it that your not loving or liking so much this holiday and is that showing a reflection of Christ love in you or what’s in your heart? Furthermore, how do you see others all around you do you see them as your neighbor or a stranger? If you do simply ask the Lord to soften your heart and to have more compassion for other. Also ask him how you can love your neighbor this Christmas so you can be his hands and feet to someone who is in need of a touch of love from Jesus!
Merry Christmas and amidst all the family gathers, celebrations and festivities don’t forget to spend alone time with the one were celebrating Jesus!
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