WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

“But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?“Luke 10:29 

    

Love to our neighbor seems at first an easy lesson to learn. But when we begin to study it, it grows harder. There is more of the lesson than we thought. We like to pick our neighbors, and we are sure to choose people who are congenial.

How to love our neighbor is taught in the parable. It is easy to have a sort of universal love – a love for everybody, a love we can exercise in our quiet home, looking at people in the distance, but not coming near to anyone. It is not just the same, however, when we go down among the people, and find our neighbor in some disagreeable person we cannot like, but waiting for our help, or in some enemy in need. The Good Samaritan found his neighbor in a hated Jew bleeding by the wayside. He had to get down in the dust and stanch his wounds, and then carry the man to an inn and pay the bills. It often costs a great deal to love a neighbor. The lesson is written out in full at the close: “Go, and do thou likewise.” (J. R. Miller)

We often speak of unconditional love but we seldom see it. Most of us are guilty of withholding love from those who do not live up to our expectations or please us in some way. We seem to forget that “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” ( Rom. 5:8). May God help us to love the unlovely– just as He loved us. Unconditional love is the result of our character, not the other person’s conduct.–HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

A SOLDIER

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”–2 Timothy 2:3-4

Audie Murphy was an unlikely hero. Weighing in at only 112 pounds and with the face of a child, Audie was 18 years old when he went overseas during World War II. Nothing about him suggested a hero in the making. Yet when called upon by his commanding officers to do the duty of a soldier, Murphy held nothing back. By war’s end, the quiet boy from Texas had fought with extraordinary bravery and saved the lives of countless fellow soldiers. He returned home to an adoring public, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, and received at least 36 other medals—more than anyone else in U.S. history, all because nothing meant more to him as a soldier than the will of his commanding officer. (Today in the Word)

As Americans we should never forget to honor our soldiers who gave sacrificially to keep us free. But, as Christians we should remember that we are soldiers of a different sort. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against the forces of evil that seek to destroy souls. Serving under our great commander Christ, we are called to fight the good fight of faith and to be faithful regardless of our assignment. Knowing we shall one day stand before Him to give an account of ourselves, let us so live that we might hear Him say, “Well done!”– HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

GLAD IN THE LORD
“My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.“–Psalm 104:34
For centuries gifted men have constructed beautiful word pictures trying to capture the glorious truths of God and the loveliness of Christ. Yet, in spite of their best efforts, they all come up short. After all, how can you describe the One who is “Altogether lovely”? Even the words of the Bible cannot fully describe Him as He really is. He is beyond compare or description.

We could speak forever about the person and work of Christ, yet we could but only touch the hem of the garment. His greatness surpasses anything we can comprehend. His goodness exceeds anything with which we could compare. His grace is beyond what we can communicate. But that shouldn’t deter us from exploring His excellencies. While we can’t know Him altogether we can always know Him better and enjoy Him more.

If we make it our daily practice to “Consider Him” ( Heb. 12:3) it will make a tremendous difference in our lives. As we behold Him we become more and more like Him (2 Cor. 3:18), which is God’s desire for each of us (Rom. 8:29). You can’t make a better use of your time. Admiration of the Lord produces appreciation for the Lord, affection for the Lord, and allegiance to the Lord. Learning of Him leads to love for Him and likeness to Him. With such a glorious revelation of Him as we see in the Bible, how can we possibly refuse Him. He can turn your sadness into gladness, and your weakness into strength. When we are most tempted to complain, it is far better if we simply think upon the Lord which turns our sadness to gladness!–HDS

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346