love your neighbor | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post

Love Your Neighbor

God calls us to love others.

17
Love Your Neighbor
https://riverstylemag.com/2018/01/24/tickets-available-love-neighbor/

I'd like to share an excellent sermon that one of my pastors preached. This really great sermon was on standing out in society by loving others. This was a great sermon based on the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. The pastor gave three practical ways for us to love our neighbors.

Luke 10: 30-35 says, "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. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 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. 35 And the next day he took out two denariiand gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.'"

Out of this Bible story, we can find three practical ways to love our neighbors.

1. Love people over tasks.

  • Loving others is going to interrupt your life. The good Samaritan was going somewhere and had things to do, but he still stopped to help the man who had been beaten.
  • You cannot continually chase the tasks of our lives (work, school, responsibilities, etc.) and love people. We tend to set our minds on the things of this world instead of being kingdom minded and focus on loving others like Jesus calls us to.
  • God calls us to love him first and foremost and then to "love your neighbor as yourself." It is impossible to love God and love others when you are focused on things of the world and not God.

2. Love likenesses over Differences

  • Samaritans were despised by the Jews. The Samaritan could not tell who the man was because he did not have clothes and was half dead, but that did not stop the Samaritan. Their only likeness was that they were both humans, their likenesses outweighed the differences.
  • Do not withhold love and extend judgment, for everyone bears the image of God.

3. Love others over Self

  • The Samaritan takes care of the man, using his resources and pays for the man's stay at the inn. The Samaritan took on the man's problems himself; he had no preferences.
  • Philippians 2:5-8 shows that Jesus made our problems his problems when he died for everyone on the cross. Jesus carried a cross that we should have to carry.

I want to leave you with this final question: When did the prerequisite to love be that we have to agree with someone? Jesus did not agree with some, yet he still loved them unconditionally. Jesus also poured out His love for everyone when He died on the cross which He did not deserve. I challenge you not to extend judgment but love your neighbors as Christ loves you.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

190543
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

15082
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

457997
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

26705
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments