Who is My Neighbor?

Jesus said, "LOVE your neighbor as you love yourself."

He doesn't give us a list of prohibitive actions which void this command (i.e. If we "catch" our neighbor in non-Christlike behavior, this command is void).  He says love them.  Serve them.  He says, "let your light shine before them in such a way they see your good work and glorify ME in heaven."

Jesus loved societies unlovable.  Jesus affiliated with sexual deviants, lepers, thieves, the marginalized, the outcast, etc., etc. (and, such were some of you the Bible reminds us).

Jesus would even go out of his way (travel through Samaria a place and people hated by his brothers) to love his neighbor.  Actually, he left heaven to come and live among ALL of us.  He became our neighbor.  He loved us.  He made a way for us to be reconciled and restored to the Father.

If we rationalize who we can love and who we can't love, we become just like the Pharisees in the N.T. And, when I read about them, it saddens me.

So church, who is your neighbor?  It is probably the person who lives next door or across the street. How do we need to act more neighborly in these days?

Friday Jesus: This little light of mine I'm going to let it S.H.I.N.E.

Jesus is the best Christianity has to offer.  Duh!  Sometimes, I can get sidetracked and lose my focus on HIM - the author and perfecter of my (our faith).

I've been thinking a lot about this vs.:

Let your light shine before men in such a way they may see your good works and glorify our father in heaven.

and....

I'm putting you on a light stand.  Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand--shine!

Sometimes we are just LIGHT - the noun, instead of shining - the verb.  Jesus is the LIGHT.  The opportunity I have as his follower is to S.H.I.N.E.  Shine to bring out the God-colors in the world as E. Peterson puts it in the Message.

This what light does.  It shines on the just and the unjust alike.  So too, I must S.H.I.N.E.

As I reflect on Jesus, what can I learn about how he moved into the neighborhood as the LIGHT of the WORLD and SHINED.

Here is my simple SHINE acrostic to prompt me from just being the noun - LIGHT to the verb - SHINE as a follower and reflector of Jesus--the Light of the World:

S. - Seek the Father, the Son and the Spirit - DAILY.  Jesus being fully God and fully man constantly talked to the Father, was led by the Spirit and moved into the neighborhood as the Son.  This trinitarian view of my God moves me to pray to the father for wisdom to join him in his sentness.  Pray to the Son for compassion to live as a servant to my neighbor.  Pray for the Spirit to led and guide me as I root myself into my neighborhood, looking for people of peace and places of peace.  If you are making disciples, you must seek God's heart through prayer.

H. - Host relationships.  Jesus went.  He went looking for people to host in conversation, over meals, along walks, in boats, hikes up hilltops, in public meetings, etc.  Jesus primary tool to hosting relationships: he carried the conversation by asking good questions.  I need to learn to ask good questions in order to allow people to share their story.  Meet people where they are, not expecting them to come to where I may be.

I. - Invest and invite both the just and the unjust in my neighborhood.  Invest in both followers and non-followers of Jesus through blessing, serving, encouraging, proclaiming, eating, demonstrating the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven. Matt. 7:12 says, "Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them."  Today, what is one thing I wish someone would do for me?  Bring in my trash can from the street!  So, I take the initiative to bring my neighbors empty trash can from the street to her house.

N. - Neighboring.  Practicing the presence of hospitality.  As Matthew says in his gospel, "Keep open house; be generous with your lives.  By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."

E. - Equip others to do the same.  Jesus invited 12 ordinary people to join him in living into the Kingdom of God.  Those 12 equipped others.  It is my opportunity to equip others to do the same.  I need to look for opportunities to equip others as I....S. H.I.N.E.

How do you S.H.I.N.E.?  What would be your simple rule-of-thumb behavior--the verb--to reflect JESUS this Friday and into the weekend?