Go to VIDEO
It seems to be more the rule than exception these days, that
even Christians have trouble getting along with their neighbors. A little girl wrote a note to her pastor, Dear Preacher, I heard you say we should
love our enemies. I am only six and do
not have any yet. I hope to have some
when I am seven. Your friend, Love, Amy.
Who can argue that good neighbor is often today a
contradiction in terms? We have a fortress
mentality in our society that separates people. Barricaded in our air-conditioned forts, we
get our information via the tube and
newspapers. We shop for stuff on our
IPads.
I call it Isolation-itis, a form of modern day
social leprosy.
The Bible says that we must love our neighbor (Lev
19:18). The two questions that
immediately come into focus are:
1.
What is it like to love a
neighbor (or be fair), and,
2.
How do I go about doing just
that?
Two texts address these questions,
Leviticus 25:14b gives the principle,
…you must not take advantage of each other. Leviticus 25:14(NLT)
In the ancient Hebrew culture God had given the Levitical law
for the purpose of making certain there was no question where He stood
regarding the treatment of the poor.
There was a law of Jubilee. Every
50th year, lands sold out of families, especially because of debt, were to be
returned to the original owner. One
writer sums up this practice:
The main purpose of these laws is to prevent the utter ruin
of debtors....about once in any man's lifetime the slate was wiped clean. Everyone had the chance to make a fresh
start."[2]
The prophet Amos said much about oppression of neighbors,
This is what the Lord says: “The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They sell honorable people for silver and
poor people for a pair of sandals. Amos
2:6(NLT)
Isaiah also despised the high handed treatment of the poor:
What sorrow for you who buy up house after house
and field after field, until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the
land. Isaiah 5:8(NLT)
Good neighbors are fair in their dealings with everyone, not
just the poor.
Our second text, Romans 12, tells us how to act fairly with
our neighbors:
#1. Humble Enough To Recognize Others' Worth
Because of the privilege and authority God
has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really
are. Be honest in your evaluation of
yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:3(NLT)
Paul was specifically talking to believers when he encouraged
humility at the point of respect to the value of other human beings. We are a body, and the eye is no more useful
than the foot. But this thinking also
extends to those outside the church; God also created them.
We can either choose to stay humble, or we can fail to live
into God’s plan for our lives.
Boasting mouths often vacuum-up all sorts of neighbor
problems.
#2. Saved Enough To Be Useful
In his grace, God has given us different gifts
for doing certain things well. So if God
has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has
given you. If
your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to
encourage others, be encouraging. If it
is giving, give generously. If God has
given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to
others, do it gladly. Romans 12:6-8(NLT)
Paul's litany of the gifts (giving, prophesying, etc.) should
not obscure the exhortation to USE those gifts. And they are to be used for God's glory!
There is an apocryphal story of Abraham that tells of a
traveling stranger. Abraham saw the old
man coming along the way, very weary, and his feet bleeding. With true Eastern hospitality he invited the
old man to share his meal and to stay with him for the night.
When Abraham noticed the old man didn’t ask a blessing on his
meal, he inquired why, and the man said, I am a fire worshipper and acknowledge no
other god. At this Abraham grew angry and sent him out
into the night.
Soon after, God called to Abraham and asked Where
is the old man I sent to you?
Abraham told God he'd sent the infidel away. The Lord answered in reply, I
have cared for him for over a hundred years, even though he has dishonored
me. Could you not endure him one night
and so prove to him God's love?
Servanthood is not popular these days. However, Jesus never claimed that following
Him would make us popular on this earth.
He DID say that our reward in HEAVEN would be great!
#3. Loving Enough To Be Involved
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love
them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Romans 12:9(NLT)
Love must be sincere.
There is nothing less sincere than a faith that says, I
love you, and want the best for you, and then ignores the other
person’s needs; that’s more a description of hypocrisy.
The most captivating aspect of the parable of the Good Samaritan
is that he acted upon the compassion he felt!
He was hands-on and vulnerable.
When you get involved with helping others, there will be an
element of risk involved. That’s because
involvement is uncomfortable.
Mostly we prefer isolation.
If you think Christians are immune to this, you have not taken a long
look at why we have a trend towards mega
churches today. When you gather with
several thousand others, you can be very anonymous. You don't have to be involved. I'm not saying large churches are wrong. But some people use the large crowd as a
place to hide.
#4. Joyful Enough To Share
When God’s people are in need, be ready to help
them. Always be eager to practice
hospitality. Romans 12:13(NLT)
Mature, patient believers realize who provides
everything.
Thanksgiving is not just
another Thursday off from the job. It is
a lifestyle for believers.
When we understand the ultimate sharing that God did for us
in Christ, it is not too difficult to then become sharers of both spiritual and
temporal gifts with a world that needs both desperately.
#5. Christ like Enough To Build Harmony
Near the end[3] of his letter,
Paul restates our task: We are to build-up our neighbor.
There are many commands about treatment of neighbors that
will create harmony. And indeed, we
would all love to live in harmony. The background
for all he says is found in Leviticus (19:17)...
Do not hate your brother in
your heart..."
Other scripture reinforces the thought:
The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life;
a wise person wins friends. Proverbs 11:30(NLT)
a wise person wins friends. Proverbs 11:30(NLT)
There is no better way to create harmony than to make a
brother out of a neighbor.
Question:How do I Cultivate these Qualities?
It is important to note that you cannot hope to cover all of
these qualities. In strictly human
reasoning, there are too many possibilities for error.
Spiritually speaking, you are also not Jesus!
So, don't go on overload if you fail at any point. It isn't failure that offends Christ; what
offends the Lord is when we fail to try.
Obedient submission to Christ is the beginning of becoming a great neighbor.
So the question is a matter of the condition of your heart:
Do you WANT to be a good neighbor,
humble, useful, involved, joyful and Christ like?
Do you WISH to live in harmony?
The primary consideration is to RESOLVE to have your
heart right with Jesus...the rest will come.
When Cortez landed at Vera Cruz in 1519 to begin his conquest
of Mexico with a small force of 700 men, he purposefully set fire to his fleet
of 11 ships. His men on the shore
watched their only means of retreat become a pile of ashes, sinking into the
Gulf of Mexico.
With the bridge closed off to the Old World, they confidently
pressed on in the New World.
Resolve to give your heart and life to Jesus that way
now.
The old world of sin and strife
will sink like one of Cortez' burning ships.
Ahead will appear the New World of new life in Jesus, with all of its
challenges and conquests.
[1] Carl
Heinrich Bloch [Public domain], via Wikimedia
Commons
[2]Gordon
J. Wenham, Leviticus, (Grand Rapids,
William B. Eerdmans Co., 1979), 317
[3] Romans 15:2
No comments:
Post a Comment