“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not HARDEN YOUR HEART nor SHUT YOUR HAND from your poor brother, but you shall OPEN YOUR HAND WIDE TO HIM AND WILLINGLY LEND HIM sufficient for his need, WHATEVER HE NEEDS…THE POOR WILL NEVER CEASE from the land; therefore I COMMAND YOU, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8,11)
If we believe the neighbor Jesus calls us to love IS ANY AND EVERY PERSON, then we should also believe that people deserve our TIME and ATTENTION, not just our dollars, “…behold, a lawyer stood up to put Jesus to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And the lawyer answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with ALL your HEART, SOUL, STRENGTH and with all your MIND, and LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live (zaō; to have true life endless in the kingdom of God).” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?” (Luke 10:25-29)
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. Jesus explained that a priest happened by and then a Levite, but they saw him, passed by on the other side of the road. But a Samaritan, saw him, and took pity on him. He bandaged his wounds, and put the man on his donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you.” “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man?” The lawyer replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him (AND US), “GO AND DO LIKEWISE.” (Luke 10:30-37)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham