My Grandma told me once how she loved the people from her home community. No matter what they did she loved them. She told me of a neighbour who was a horse thief. Everyone in the area knew it. If your horse went missing, the first stop was always to his farm to see if he had it. Usually he did have the stolen horse. The community folk would go collect their horse and be on their way.
She laughed as she recalled this. Then she paused and looking at me with her beautiful pale blue eyes, she clasped her hands and leaned forward, as though to drive the point home. “You see, they are my people.”
We all need people. We need to love our people and walk with our people.
Have we lost this? Perhaps we lost it before the dreaded virus landed in our world.
Love is not a feeling or an instinct. Love is a job. A job with easy days and tough days. But a job nonetheless.
Together lets love our people.
1 Peter 4: 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
I was looking for something to listen to and I cranked up the YouTube to see if I could find a speaker or video about this topic. I began to type – Love… lots of love songs pop up. Love your… yourself lots of self-love. Love your n… oddly enough love nature came next. Love your neighb… finally love your neighbour.
That took a lot of letters.
It says something about our society though.
Jesus said, “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Note we don’t need to be instructed in how to love ourselves. Contrary to public opinion we do that a lot. Are we always loving ourselves in a productive and useful way, that is another story. But we are naturally absorbed in our own world and point of view. That is inevitable and we all do it. No we are told to love our neighbours as ourselves.
Are we told to love them when they agree with us or do the things we want them to do? No.
Are we told to love them when they are nice and worthy of our love and respect? No.
Love is work. People are messy. Loving people can be hard to do. But don’t pat yourself on the back and think, well I’ve done my best, I’ve tried, they are just unlovable. No. Jesus didn’t say ‘do this if you can, if it works out for you.’ It is one of two commandments he gives.
Love God with your whole self is the first, love your neighbor as yourself is the second.
As I listen to friends who are struggling with hurt and misunderstanding and anger even in their own families, I wonder: Are we getting this wrong? Do we know how to do this?
As I searched this morning I found this video on YouTube. It’s long, but listen to it. There is nothing I could say that he doesn’t say better. It is old – like 150 years old. Maybe Solomon was right – maybe there is really nothing new under the sun.
Matthew 22: 37-40 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
We live in an affluent time. We have so much. And yet the poor are among us. This can be hard to reconcile. On top of that we, as humans, tend to equate ‘blessings’ with material possessions. The rise of the dreaded prosperity gospel is testament to this tendency within us.
The Bible is not vague about the poor. It is not vague about what our response as God’s people should be to the poor.
Last summer, when we were struggling financially and still recovering from Wes’ stroke, our neighbours looked after us. One needed help with a storm door, one needed a fence, one needed a deck – all by some coincidence when we needed it most. Do I think it was a coincidence? No, I don’t. They saw a need. They had a need and they saw a way of helping us. But not just giving us charity, but by providing the opportunity for Wes to work and maintain his dignity. Other have also done this, some old church friends as well. We have been extremely grateful for their kindness.
I found this video very interesting and thought you might too.
Sometimes I get frustrated with others. Sometimes it’s hard to not put my own concerns first. It can be hard to give and give and give.
But then I read Roman 15 and like a splash of cold water it tells me to ‘snap out of it.’ Christ didn’t get frustrated with my sin. Christ didn’t decide to call me selfish and teach me to figure it out on my own. Christ didn’t walk down a different street to avoid talking to me. Nope.
Christ died for me, for my sin, for my weakness. He took on my failings as his own and bore them. I owe a debt I can never pay. Therefor, I should gain strength from him. His sacrifice should help me swallow my own pride and bear the weaknesses and sorrows of those around me. I can look to him for strength and endurance in the face of frustration.
I needed this reminder this morning.
Romans 15: 1-4 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
Roberta Writes 