Thought for Thursday
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Galatians 5:14
It was a regular New Brunswick snowstorm, lots of blowing snow, making it an ideal day to stay inside. Our neighbour’s elderly parents were visiting them, and his mother experienced a fainting spell. The ambulance was called, and within a few minutes, despite the snow-filled streets, the ambulance arrived. Because the driver was unable to tell exactly where the road was, he steered the ambulance into the ditch on the slight curve in front of our neighbour’s house. The attendants rushed inside the house to attend to the ill woman. But no sooner had they arrived than a flood of men and boys rushed out to the scene. Within seconds, they lifted the ambulance back onto the street surface in a wonderful display of neighbourly cooperation. Everybody got cold and snowy and out of breath, but nobody complained. It made us feel good that we have such good neighbours on our street. But they weren’t as good as the neighbours that our text is talking about.
This is a pretty high standard, taken directly from the Ten Commandments. The only One who ever reached this standard was the Lord Jesus. Study His example, and we see a love that was proved over and over. Everything He did was for His neighbour. And it’s wonderful that one of His neighbours on the cross appreciated and benefited from that love. Now, there’s no way you or I could live up to that example. The Lord Jesus demonstrated his love by dying for us. I can’t think of any of my neighbours I would be willing to die for, not many family members, not many Assembly brothers or sisters. What about you? But just because we can’t match the example set by our Lord, that doesn’t prevent us from trying.
What does loving my neighbour as myself entail? It means giving of myself and my possessions to help those who lack. It means sharing my time with those who can benefit from my abilities or my company. It means letting go of some of my desires and goals in order to let my neighbour achieve his. It means so much more than we realize, and it takes a lifetime to learn how.
But who is my neighbour? Look around you; whoever you see is your neighbour.
There are two kinds of people in the world: takers and givers. The takers eat better, but the givers sleep better. -Jim MacIntosh