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Today’s Devotionalβ¦
The Law of Moses actually had what many believed to be the prescribed formula for obtaining eternal life: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself (Luk. 10:27 KJV).
In our opening scripture, Jesus confirms this by summarizing the entire Law of Moses along the same lines prescribed in the Law.
The hanging mystery in both passages, however, is the neighbour who, besides loving God, must also be loved in order to fulfil the Law in the hope of obtaining eternal life.
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, when a certain lawyer enquired of Jesus who a neighbour could be, Jesus simply revealed that a neighbour is the one who shows love.
This leaves the summary of the Law of Moses in just one word: LOVE – first to God, and then to man.
So, being a neighbour does not necessarily mean living next door, but demonstrating UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
The Good Samaritan did not bother to question how the victim in the story ended up wounded and lying on the ground. He simply showed him unconditional love: he treated his wounds, took him to an inn (which today, could have a hospital), and asked for NOTHING in return.
So, are you a neighbour? Your answer can only be accurate if it comes from someone other than yourself – someone who can testify firsthand to the unconditional love you have shown them. Ponderβ¦
If you have ever needed even the smallest act of love in a desperate situation, you were seeking to encounter a neighbour. And if you have ever given help at such a moment, then you were the neighbour.
May the Holy Spirit make you a neighbour in Christ and surround you with neighbours if ever the need arises, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.