The word for this week is "neighbour". We find it in these portions of Scripture:
Matt 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. KJV
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. KJV
This is the Greek word "plesion". Vine's Expository Dictionary says: the one near. The Theological Dictionary says: the person next to one; fellow human being. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: friend, any other person. We tend, in this country and culture, to think of a neighbor as those living next door or on the same block or area as we do. The Bible gives the word a broader meaning. Jesus widened even that in this next account from Luke 10:29-37:
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 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. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. KJV
It's comfortable for us to get to know the people we see often, or that we have something in common with, but God sees every person as precious and valuable. He so loved every person in the entire world that He sent JESUS to die for every one of us. I believe that He wants each of us to broaden our areas of influence by seeing beyond the narrow scope of our everyday lives and to begin to expect Him to bring new and different people across our paths. This is especially hard for me as a very private person, but obedience brings blessings, so I intend to get out of my comfort zone! I know that living in the Cities and having the careers that you and Kristine have, you come in contact with different people on a regular basis. But I foresee Him using you both even more in the days and weeks to come! The Light and Life within you shines so bright in that area, so don't be surprised when people begin to gravitate toward you! SOME of them will be sent specifically to bless you! God is GOOD like that! Here is Hillsong with a brand new song that I LOVE called "Who you Say I Am":
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
