1 Minute Daily Devotions
October 12, 2011
And Your Neighbor As Yourself
"The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." - Mark 12:31
"Love thy neighbor" is a term that's become almost clichéd over the years. But where did it originate, and what does it really mean? In a time when neighbors, at least in America, are people we rarely see (thanks to garage door openers and busy lives), how can we possibly love our neighbors?
“Love thy neighbor” was, in part, Jesus' answer when the religious leader, asked Him about the greatest commandment in the Law (See Matthew 22:36-40). These guys had made it an art form of classifying all the various laws and giving them relative degrees of importance, so in asking Jesus this question, their aim was to test Him. His answer stunned them: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. "This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. The question then is, who is our neighbor, and how do we love him or her? They asked Jesus that and He told them the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).
But He would say even more: You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:43) Is our neighbor more than the guy next door? Could he or she be someone in our community or almost anyone we meet? Could our enemies also be our neighbors? Jesus says, “Absolutely.” But how can we love someone who hates us?
"Love thy neighbor" is not as hard as it looks on the surface. We don’t have to like them. It simply means respecting them, showing kindness and compassion to them, having integrity with them, and regarding their needs and desires as highly as we regard our own. In that light, keeping this commandment is likely to require the supernatural assistance only God, through Christ, can provide.
The way we love our neighbor is through getting to know Christ, the living Word of God? It's human nature to emulate those we admire most, so in getting to know Christ, we'll discover a God worthy of our wholehearted love, then our neighbor will see His love through us.
Comments on this Devotion
From wayne on Oct 12th:
I don't believe we can listen to hate radio and watch the hate mongers on TV and just switch off the hate, as we do the radio, TV and internet and love our neighbors. I'd say, "Boycott Hate" and love your neighbor. Remember what you just read...you don't have to like them, just love them. I don't believe you can fill your mind with continuous hate. When has exposing yourself to hate made you love your neighbor? Would Jesus expose himself to so much hate as people do today?
Be informed about the world around but don't see it through the eyes of hate mongers. Are you Worshipping God or leading someone to Christ when you are exposing youself to such hate?
From Paula on Oct 12th:
Wayne, in my view, when making accusations it is critical to be specific, or it cannot be considered relevant. With that in mind, what exactly are you referring to?
From Grant on Oct 12th:
Right on. A lot of people take what I call "conviction of principle", and call it hate.
From wayne on Oct 12th:
Hate is hate. If you have difficulty recognizing it, I'd suggest you pray about it. If you call hate something else just to salve your conscience, I'd suggest you pray about it. If you are addicted to hate and spend the day with your eyes and ears filled with hate, I'd suggest you try to spend a little time in prayer and discuss with our loving Savior how you can rid your life, your mind and your heart of this vile habit/sin.
From Gunk on Oct 12th:
And I just finished saying I would not Clutter this Board with My Opinion. First of All--Today's Message should have been one of the Most Uplifting any True Xian has ever Read. It is not "First One(God) then the Other(Neighbors)..." We love God by Loving Others--God looks at us when we Love Others.
(Remember the Widow and Her Two Little Pennies? Remember what Jesus said when He sat by the Temple Treasury and watched Her Throw those in? The Cup of Water?)
Personal Experience: I removed the Antennae from the Brand-New Tahoe just so a Certain Individual would not insist I be Bombarded by that Garbage Minute after Minute/Hour by Hour/Day by Day/Week by Week/Month by Month/Year by Year...Just because it occupied Her Mind.
OK...so years later I am invited to this Individual's Domicile and Guess What? One did not Change Channels--No: You just Changed Rooms!!!
CNN here(they are Total Liberals right?) CNBC over There (Fiscal Conservatives--They must be God's Chosen since they are Concerned more about Saving Money than People--surely that must the the Xian Cause)
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report...
If there be Any Virtue--If there be any Praise...Think on These Things.
You ain't going to Get to Heaven thinking Bad Things about Poor People and Sinners so Forget About It.
Jesus loves us whether you or your Account Executive or your Favorite Politician or Cramer or Kudlow or all of the Rest say-so.
They are a Bunch of Screaming Idiots getting payed Millions a Month for their Opinions...
You get what you payed for...You are Alive. Stay Alive Hatemongers...See what you Get/G
From Grant on Oct 12th:
Wayne, Speaking out against homosexuality as immoral on the radio in Canada is "hate speech" punishable by fine and imprisonment. We are not far from that here.
Saying that Mormons are not Christians has been called hate speech, when it is just a statement of fact.
I know hate when I see it. I also know "political correctness" when I see it.
With all due respect, I would suggest that you be a little less sanctimonious.
From Gunk on Oct 12th:
Look Guys...we have not Resisted to the Point of Death. All these pre-conceived Notions about Sexual Relations is so Overdone by the Media. It is just Ridiculous. From Porn to Homosexuality to Commercials about "Things" like Male and Female Enhancers...it is just absolutely Absurd.
If we will, as Xians all give this some time? It will come to the Natural Consequences. God did not send Abram into that Valley--He went to Abram first to let him know his Nephew and Family were very much at Risk.
In the Jordan Valley...
Then what happened? Lot's Wife looked back--he wound up in some Cave doing things Unmentionable out here. Abram and Sarai poked fun at God's Promises and somehow--someway God worked it all out According to His Promises.
Even after Abram lied to Pharoah...that was Bigger than Bill Clinton and Monica or Watergate.
Our Neighbors--God loves them--He would not have placed them next to us if He did not Intend we love them as our own Families. You say Gunk that cannot be done--well of course it can...
And we just might learn something from those Neighbors in The Process.
From Paula on Oct 13th:
Wayne, I am trying to figure out what/who you mean about "hate mongers" on radio and TV. And Grant, thank you Grant, further illustrated that you have to be more specific when accusing others. So, we can either have a helpful discussion from which we can all take away some good Or we can simply make up our own conclusions. It could be that you just had some politically charged talking points you wanted to get out there.
From wayne on Oct 13th:
Sanctimonious! Political Correctness! Politics!
I am only speaking of Hate and not loving your neighbor as youself. I believe there are many types of addictions and one of those is filling ones heart and mind with hate. I believe that when a heart and mind is filled with so much hate, there is little room for love. I hate sin and actions that are not in accordance with the life and teaching of our Savior. Jesus didn't spend most of his ministry taking actions against the money changers.
I only wanted to leave a comment, not participate in a debate. I have good discussions with friends, relatives and fellow Christians and we don't always agree.
From Gunk on Oct 13th:
Wayne I appreciate your Comments and hold the Same Opinion--Thank You.
From Grant on Oct 13th:
Wayne, In your original comment you mentioned "hate radio and hate mongers on TV". We were just trying to get you to be more specific about your concern. If you want to back off of that, fine.
For myself, I am much more offended by the "sex, violence anything goes message" of much of today's various forms of media. I think that it is polluting the minds of whole generations of young people.
From Gunk on Oct 13th:
We are not going have any Positive Impact on each other or our Neighbors if we continue to Label them somewhere outside our Comfort Zones. Much of Television/Internet/Radio is nothing but a Bunch of People stirring up Trouble from both sides of the Media Fence. We cannot allow ourselves to be in this Constant Debate filled with Hate towards others...All the Finger-Pointing in the World will not help us Love our Neighbors. There is not a Homosexual behind every Tree and this is not a Court of Law.
Personally, I agree with Wayne and his Comments yesterday were encouraging to me...I thought this discussion was intended to help us Love our Neighbors. Lord have Mercy...if we treat others the way we treat each other in here?
Time to move on for me--Bryant put out Georgeous One this morning.
From Paula on Oct 13th:
I think the first thing to do in loving our neighbors is to be honest about our thoughts, motivations and implications when we make a comment ABOUT our neighbors such as accusing them of listening to "hate". So rather than making an accusatory dismissive just respond to questions with sincere answers. That is all that was respectfully requested.
From wayne on Oct 13th:
I am a Christian and I am against hate and the purveyors of hate and the practitioners of hate. I consider the readers of these devotions my neighbors and I will pray harder for those who need the gift of discernment to identify hate in this world.