LOVING OTHERS

Who is your neighbour? There used to be a time when everyone knew their neighbour. They were your first port of call in times of trouble or need. These days, it’s lucky if we give our neighbour a courteous smile or wave as we walk past each other.

In Luke 10, Jesus commands us to love God with all your heart and then love your neighbour as yourself. The expert in the law who’d stood up to test Jesus asked, “Who is my neighbour?” Jesus then tells a story of a man lying beaten and bruised on the side of a road. A priest and Levite walk past and cross to the other side of the road. The third man, a Samaritan, shows compassion. He bandages the injured man’s wounds, takes him to accommodation, and pays for everything until he recovers. What an incredible act of uncommon love!

We would all like to think that we would be the Samaritan in a circumstance like this. However, how often have we “crossed the road” when seeing a needy person? Whether it be a parent needing a hand with their child at the supermarket, a homeless person in need of a meal, or a lonely person in need of a friend. We allow our busyness, devices, and worries to keep us distracted and oblivious to the needs around us.

Jesus compels us to love our neighbour in an uncommon way.

Uncommon love can be great acts of generosity, courageous invitations, or miraculous prayer. Uncommon love can also be a small kindness to a stranger. Love expressed intentionally is a doorway to the heart of a person who needs an encounter with Jesus Christ. Every believer is empowered to deliver radical compassion to our hurting world.

Remember that any action taken in love can impact another's life, no matter how small.

Daily Prayer

God, reveal to me today one person I can show uncommon love to. Give me the awareness to see, boldness to act, and compassion to love my neighbour.