One a Day Word

Neighbor (Acts of faith toward people)

September 25, 2009

Luke 10:27 KJV

(27)  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luke 10:33-34 KJV

(33)  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

(34)  And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

If we can say our love for God is expressed through acts of faith in God, such as Abraham and his willingness to offer Isaac, and couple it with the first and greatest commandment, then we can say our acts of Christian faith directed toward others is a result of our love for God and our neighbor, and directly tie it win with the second great commandment.

Along the road walked a man unaware of his fate, when suddenly he was overtaken by those who meant to bring harm and left him to die. Good news however those of whom compassion was expected saw him, but while neither the Priest nor the Levite offered their help, another man would. Unlikely source but none the less he had compassion on him.

Jesus asked the lawyer “which if these were a neighbor to the man who was harmed by the thieves?” The lawyer responded, “the one who cared”.

Stop for a minute and think about his, which of these showed their Christian faith?  And which of these put their faith in action? And which of these were obedient to the second commandment?

Loving God, coincides with trusting God for the unseen, and often brings us to a much greater faith in God, but God also is pleased when our faith expresses our love for our neighbor by putting into action our love for God in loving others.

Caring for someone, feeding a hungry mouth, clothing the naked, all are ways we put the Christian faith in action. Sure trusting God for something extraordinary like walking on water or parting the river is awesome, but being a neighbor to someone at the point of their need is no less an act of faith.

Show your faith soon, put it in action, trust God for something big, then find a need and show your compassion. Now that’s faith in action, and that’s obedience to the first and second great commandments.