Most of us have spoken, heard, or read the phrase, “Love your neighbor.” It has been popularized in movies, books, speeches. Presented on clothing, art, personal items, bumper stickers. We see and hear it all the time, yet our society becomes more and more divisive by the minute. Politics, social issues, economic issues, culture issues divide. Jealousy and envy of others divides us. We want what our neighbor has more than we want to love them.
Division even enters our Churches. We let outside pressures and worldly issues rip apart our Churches. Instead of building off our Love of God, and sharing the Gospel message to the ends of the earth, we develop animosity and division with our neighbors. Jesus said too, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). Instead, we focus more on Worldly concerns than Godly Love.
If you want to be like God, love your enemy. Jesus said, “For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary?” (Matt. 5:46-47). It is easy for us to love our family or best friends. How about the person who cuts you off in traffic. If you later see him down the road with a flat, would you stop and help? How about the person who never cuts his lawn, trims his bushes, leaves old junk in his yard. If they lost their job, fell into financial trouble, couldn’t put food on the table, would you help them?
Jesus said, “But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). It is easy to love those who love us for our reward is instantly felt. In a culture built on instant gratification, we long to love those who can quickly return love. It is far more difficult to love those who may or may not express their love in return.
Jesus said, “But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil” (Luke 6:35). You may not receive instant gratification, but your Heavenly reward will be great.
We must always be mindful of our sinful, fallen nature. We all fall short of Godly perfection. Our Lord Jesus Christ was perfect and sinless. We are all sinners against God, yet, He loved us so much that He sent His perfect, sinless Son to die for us so, through our faith in Jesus Christ, we will have ETERNAL LIFE. “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Next time you have trouble loving your neighbor, remember we are all sinners, and God loved us so much that He sacrificed his only Son so that we may believe and have eternal life. That is endless, perfect, neighborly love.
