Revelation of the Word

THEME: NEIGHBOR 
Matthew 22:37-40 

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

INSIGHT 

-Jesus exposes the law of love to us by two laws in one, in which all the 669 laws are summarised into the law of love. Love also summarises the messages by the prophets in the Old Testament. By loving God & our neighbor we drift away from sinfulness when we submit our lives to Him Who is love. Self love is precedent as one cannot love another is he doesn’t love himself. The love of neighbor should also be to the same degree as oneself. 

SUMMARY 

-Neighbor in Hebrew is written as rea & it means companion, fellow, lover & adjoin. Neighbor is a general term used in the Bible to define any other person other than self. Jesus defines a neighbor as a person who shows compassion to a fellow humankind. He brought this out clearly in the parable of the good Samaritan; who was a stranger in the land but had mercy on a suffering man. This clears explains that a neighbor is not the person who lives next to you but one who offers help when required to. Sacrifice of time, money, information & skills for others disregarding their tribe, nationality, gender, social class & colour, is key in good neighborhood. On the flip side, some people sort for disagreements leading to enmity in the bulwark of their interactions. One of the major causes of disagreements is arguments which has caused enmity in families, friendships, marriages & states. In an argument, the first human reaction is to get defensive for everyone reassures themselves that they are right; making it impossible to win an argument. The winner always has self victory & looses the friends goodwill. It’s only wise to have both by avoiding the argument. A man of understanding is of a calm spirit & a fool is considered wise when he keeps his peace & shuts his lips. Others flatter their opponents to set a trap upon their feet. Flattery is defined as counterfeit, shallow, selfish, insincere & cheap praise for selfish gain. Flattery therefore belongs to the ungodly who walk according to their own lusts with swelling words to gain advantage, Jude1:16. Everybody likes to be appreciated which makes one feel important for their personal benefit & good of others. Honest appreciation comes when one realises that every man is superior in a way & by that acceptance; we learn from them & edify their spirit. Just as Christ did not please Himself but sort to profit all mankind for the glory & honour of the Father, we should also seek other people’s interest & not only our own. By doing this, we edify our neighbors by putting away all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking & share in kindness, tenderness, love, peace, mercy & the forgiveness of Christ.

PRAYER 

Holy Spirit our Helper, instil in us the fruit of love that we may love You & our neighbor as ourselves. Help us to refrain from arguments, flattery, bitterness, jealousy & evil speaking, so that your wisdom may be abundantly bestowed in our hearts. Save all the broken marriages, friendship, relations & help us in all our needs. Forgive us all our trespasses & help us to forgive those who offend us. May we bear each one another with a quiet spirit & always seek to do unto others as we would like them to do unto us. All glory, honour, praise, victory, belongs to You Lord, now & forever. Amen 

Blessed Weekend.

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