Love Your Neighbor

“For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 (NLT)

There are people in our circle that we love and would do anything for.  We have vetted them so to speak and find they can be trusted.  These people have been with us through thick and thin.  We know without a shadow of doubt that they got us.  What about the ones that hurt us?  What about the ones that talked behind our backs?  What about the ones that called the Homeowners Association on you because your grass did not have the lines in it when you mowed the lawn?  I know the last question seems funny, but you would be surprised what people will get mad about.  I digressed.  Do we still love them? 

Yes, we do.  Why?  Because God commanded us in the verse above to do just that.  He did not ask us.  He commanded us.  What does that look like for us as believers?  Just to give you a few examples.  Loving them means praying for them.  It means forgiving them.  Remember, forgiveness is not for them, it is for you.  Loving them means speaking when they will not speak.  It means lending a helping hand when they need it.  Loving them means saying something positive when someone else maybe talking negatively about them.  God will never put no more on us than we can bear.  He knows how much we can take.

Some of us know that we have messed up in certain situations as well.  There are people that no longer deal with us for various reasons.  The same things I am asking of you, I pray they will do the same things when it comes to you and me.  I encourage you today to be mindful of the things you do and speak.  God loves us even when we do things that hurt him.  He forgives, prays, and loves us anyway.  Why cannot we do the same for others?

There is good in everyone.  Remember that even when they are doing something wrong.  God still loves them like he loves us.  If we show them what Loving Our Neighbor looks like, it may change them.  You never know.  I believe it is worth a try.