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“Who is my neighbor?”

This is a line famously asked of Jesus by a lawyer in Luke 10. In response, Jesus (even more famously) provided him with the parable of the good Samaritan, illustrating that anyone can be your neighbor. Race, gender, culture, and religion make no difference as to whether someone counts as a neighbor. Over the past two days, we’ve talked about how biblical communities love God together and love one another. But, as we see so clearly in the second Great Commandment (“Love your neighbor as yourself”) and in the Great Commission (“Go make disciples of all nations”), we are not intended to only love God and fellow believers. We must love our neighbors too.

So now, some 2000 years later, we have an important follow-up question: “How do I love my neighbor?” There are countless possible answers. Before thinking through what we ought to do, it’s important to do a heart-check and make sure that we do in fact love our neighbors. Not just with our words and actions, but with our hearts and souls. So, before doing anything for them, it is important to first pray. We must ask God to show them His love and submit ourselves to be vessels, messengers, of His divine love. Only then can we move toward our neighbors in a way that is genuinely Christ-like. Whoever we identify as being our neighbors, it’s important that we truly care about them.

Back to the question then. How can you love your neighbor? Well, one of the best ways to love anybody is to step into their need. One thing you can be certain of for any unbeliever you meet is that, whether they’re high on life or at rock bottom, that person is in desperate need of Jesus. If you met someone who was very sick, and you just so happened to have the cure, I think we all know the best way to love that neighbor. The reality is that you have been given the spiritual equivalent of the cure to cancer. The best way you could possibly love someone who hasn’t heard the gospel is to share it with them.

However, our physical needs often mix with our spiritual needs. Sometimes people couldn’t care less about anything spiritual, because they are simply too busy working to put food on the table. Some people are so beaten down by hardship or toil that they see no reason to believe in a good and loving God. Let’s meet those people where they are. James tells us that we are to care for the widow and the orphan, and in Hebrews we read that we are to “...not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” (James 1:27; Hebrews 13:16).

Given the physical and spiritual needs we see around us, there are three clear ways we can love our neighbors. The first is to simply share the gospel with them. Make sure they are aware that there is a God who loves them dearly, died to save them, and offers them eternal life. Second, meet them in their physical need. Find an opportunity to buy someone a meal, help them with a car repair, or simply give them your time as you sit and listen to them. With the time, effort, and resources that God has given you, give to those who would benefit from it. Lastly, give to missions or local charities. There are parachurch ministries that serve people in ways that you are unable to, and there are international missions that minister to people you will never meet. You can invest your wealth into people and organizations that are spreading God’s love to new places or sharing it in a unique way.

So… who is your neighbor? How can you pour the love of Jesus into their life this week?