Christianity Oasis Forum

[Lani]

Mark 12:28-34
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.



The whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall LOVE your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14 (NRSV)


Eleven years ago we moved into a new neighborhood. My wife and I discussed how we might reach out in love to the 25 families who lived on our short road. Our first thought was, Where should we begin> We gathered the names and addresses, and then we agreed to pray for each person every day. We believe that we need to talk to God about our neighbor before we talk to our neighbor about God.

Soon we began to invite one family at a time into our home for a meal and to get to know each other. Our prayer was for each person in our community to sense God's presence. We sent cards and notes at special times, and we remained vigilant for incidents of need or crisis. We watched for new families and took a freshly baked loaf of bread to them, welcoming them as neighbors.

Today we rejoice in the open doors God has given us and for the privilege of loving our neighbors through daily prayers. We also praise God for opportunities to serve and for the relationships we have with these people. What better way to “love our neighbors as ourselves” than to pray God's blessing upon each of them, day by day?




Prayer: Loving God, help us be instruments of your love to those who live around us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Prayer Focus of Day: Neighbors

Thought for the Day: Get to know your neighbors so that you can pray for their specific needs.[\color]

[color=#FF0000]Story shared by: J. Drescher (PA)
Source: Upper Room Daily Devotional: 8/2/11