Good Samaritan

Love Your Enemies

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.’   But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?”
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 5:43-48

Love your enemies?  Really!  What a preposterous and crazy thought.  To the human flesh this sounds foolish, and you fear being run over by someone who will take advantage of your love and kindness.

Jesus says also in those verses, “Love your neighbor.”  Jesus was asked that question before He tells us the parable of the “Good Samaritan”  (Luke 10:29-37).  The good Samaritan was the only one who showed the man, who had been beaten and left for dead, love and kindness.

So who is our neighbor?  The stranger who needs help.  The man or woman who is a drug addict who is found lying in the gutter, pleading for help.  The boy or girl who is be abused, and wants help.  We are all neighbors one of another.

I know a young man who was driving, with his family , and they were on their way to town, they went by a neighbors house, and saw a fire burning outside that house from a wood furnace.  He pulled in the driveway, went and knocked on the door.  No one was home, so he told his wife go get the Fire Department, which was close by.  While she was doing that the young man went to the fire, and started pulling the burning wood away from the building.  It was actually started to burn the poles of their carport.  The Firemen showed up and they kept the house from burning.

That is part of what a good neighbor is.  Watching over, and caring for those in need, as we go about  our daily needs

If every one is a neighbor, then that includes enemies.

How can we love those who oppose us, despise us,  and we are to bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us?  There is only one way, and that is to have the love of God in you.  The way to have the love of God in  you is to yield your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, confessing that you are a sinner separated from God, and confessing Jesus as your Lord, and believing that God has raised  Him from the dead.  When you get Jesus, you will receive the Holy Spirit, who is Christ in you – God in you.

The Way We Speak of Our Neighbor

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”  Matthew 5:21-22  (KJB)

Has anyone ever heard of “Assassination by words”? Maybe I am making it up; but I believe that is what is happening in our nation (U. S. of A.) today. Maybe I need to remind my brothers and sisters in Christ who our neighbor is.

Our brother is our neighbor. The man or woman across the street or road; or across the creek  is your neighbor. The people of China, Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel are our neighbors. Remember Jesus’s story of the Good Samaritan.

I write this because the Lord reminds me of this quite often. I am not without guilt of assassination by words. May God forgive me; and may those I have assassinated by words forgive me too.

The political climate is hot, very hot, hotter, it seems to me than I can remember. Mean and vicious words from conservatives as well as liberals and in betweens.

Calling another person who disagrees with us a vile, vicious name is a sure sign we have lost the argument. If we disagree with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that is fine, but they are still part of Adam’s race who deserve the same respect you and I do. We are not authorized to call them ugly and vile names because of their party affiliation.

“Well they do it” does not give us the right to retaliate. God’s love is the greatest power on earth. If we are children of God through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are to love our enemies, and that means we have no business, right or authority to assassinate by words the character of any other individual.

By the power and grace of God let us cool this heat of hatred with words of grace and mercy.

Righteous Judgments

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

As we look at the following verses from Proverbs let us consider how we are to treat our neighbor.  The one next door, and the one 12,500 miles away.  The heart of the Christian is growing to become more like that of Jesus Christ, and He gave us the story of the “Good Samaritan” which is a familiar story the world over (Luke 10:30-37).  If every Christian would live like this, there would be less trouble between neighbors.

“A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death. The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.” Proverbs 11:1-6 (KJV)

The following are some points to ponder…

  1.  Balances were a means of conducting much agricultural, metals, and other forms of business in days of the past. Notice that the “False balance” is an “Abomination to the LORD” – something that is disgusting, and wicked in the sight of the LORD.
    This proverb (v. 1) can be tied with the command to “Love our neighbor” (Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31) as ourselves; and the final six of the Ten Commandments. The Lord delights in a just weight or right balances.
  2.  Pride, arrogance, insolence, presumptuousness are words very similar in meaning. Most people hate arrogance when it is seen in someone else. The Mirriam/Webster Dictionary defines “arrogant” as being “Offensives exaggerating one’s own importance”; “insolent” is defined as “contemptuous, rude, disrespectful, or brutal in behavior or language: OVERBEARING, BOLD”; “presumptuous” means “overstepping due bounds; taking liberties: OVERBOLD.” With this “Pride” comes shame following closely on the heels – see Proverbs 16:18.
    In contrast is the “lowly” or the modest individual. These are usually the thankful person. The individual who knows they are not alone and trust the Lord for their every need.
  3.  “Integrity” equals “Soundness: adherence to a code of values: utter sincerity, honesty, and candor: completeness.” These, of course, would be guided by the teachings of God’s word and the Holy Spirit in the Christian.
    In this verse as well as verses 2, and 4 through 6 there are contrasting statements: “The integrity of the upright” and “The perverseness of transgressors”; Riches and righteousness; “The righteousness of the perfect… but the wicked shall fall…”

There is destruction awaiting those connected to unrighteousness.

There is deliverance for the righteous; but “transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.” (Jeremiah 2:19)