What the Neighbours Will Think

"But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?" (Luke 10:29, emphasis mine) Hint: It isn't just the people who live on either side of you, the ones on your block and across the street.

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There are times when we become so persnickety with people that we forget that Jesus considers everyone to be our neighbor. The people you observe as you meander through the supermarket. Those who are standing next to you while you wait for the bus or the train. These are people who you are more-than-likely never going to see again. Obviously, that depends on the size of your city or locale, but know that every person who you encounter is someone who God wants. He wants them just as much as He wants you. You're their neighbor just as they are your's. Pray for them. Look at them. Give them something. God will use you even if you have but a few seconds of non-personal interaction. And I guarantee you that if you tell God you want to be used like that, He'll see to it that your days are structured around His perfect will. The incidents that you thought were mistakes will turn and be used for God's glory. The only thing that's set in stone is the hardness of heart that prevents us from seeing each and every person as someone whom God loves. What will the neighbors think? Who knows. I do know that if you care about the fact that God thinks about them, then you'll be taken care of as you in turn take care of others.

When the lawyer asked Jesus who his neighbors were, it's almost as if he was breaking the statement of Jesus down to its constituent parts (as lawyers are wont to do) and trying to find some fault with Jesus' logic. Some loophole. Thing is, the statements of Jesus are so dense with meaning and connotation as to include the whole of humanity and all of its subsequent issues. Whatever we think, there's a way of seeing it that's more in keeping with Jesus' thoughts than our own, only.

Moving Experiences

Tricks of the Light