LOVE FOR GOD AND NEIGHBOR ARE INSEPARABLE!
LOVE FOR GOD AND NEIGHBOR ARE INSEPERABLE!
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise. —Luke 10:25-37
When Jesus was asked “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He answered saying, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus told him that he had “answered correctly.” Then He said to him, “do this, and you will live.” The person who truly loves God will be loving his neighbor as well. And the person who is truly loving his neighbor truly loves God. These two commands were tied together by Jesus in saying, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40). It is by these two commands together that all the Law and Prophets hang on. Not just one of them, but both of them. A person who loves like this has eternal life. Jesus did say, “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him” (John 14:21).
Then the “expert in the Law” sought to justify himself (make himself, declare himself righteous) he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus made it very clear that the Samaritan was the one who truly loved God and his neighbor by putting his life at risk, by giving aid to the man’s wounds, by transporting him to an inn, by paying for his care and willing to pay any outstanding bill when he returned. He gave of his time and resources to help the needy man. At the end of the parable Jesus told the “expert in the Law” to go and show mercy to those in need and so will we if we truly love God—- yes, then we will truly extend mercy to those in need around us. May we do so.
Dear Father please help me to be sensitive to those around me that have needs. Please help me to help those people that You desire me to help. May this be so in the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Jesus my Lord. So be it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYV0ce3ybEA