Godly Love and Neighborly Love
Godly Love and Neighborly Love
A common theme throughout the scriptures is This:
Don’t only think only about yourself
Think about how you impact your neighbors
Think about our duty to our Neighbors
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Lev 19:9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
Lev 19:10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
Lev 19:11 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.
Lev 19:12 And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
Lev 19:13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
Lev 19:14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.
Lev 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
Lev 19:16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.
Lev 19:17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
Lev 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Consider God’s Love for Us
GOD LOVED US WHEN WE WERE HIS ENEMY – Romans 5:8. If you only love those who love you, then you really don’t love.
Our highest calling is to love others as Christ has loved us.
We are to love, not just in words or speech, but in genuine acts that address the needs of other people.
Love isn’t static it’s dynamic, it’s Always Active.
Every Christian should make love visible in their life, their home, their church, their community, and the world.
Love is not Love unless it’s made Visible and Demonstrated
Mark 12:28-31
(28) And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
{From Deut 6:4}
(29) And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
(30) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
{From Leviticus 19:18}
(31) And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Also:
"For the love of Christ constraineth us….." 2 Corinthians 5:14 KJV
What Is Love?
Love, an emotion characterized by strong feelings of affection for another arising out of kinship, companionship, admiration, or benevolence.
In a related sense, “love” designates a benevolent concern for the good or welfare of others.
However LOVE IS MORE THAN EMOTION
God's love was "manifest". It was love is action, like the Good Samaritan.
Whoever loves much does much.
It is silence--when people’s words hurt.
It is patience--when your neighbor's curt.
It is deafness--when a scandal flows.
It is thoughtfulness--for other's woes.
It is promptness--when stern duty calls.
It is courage--when misfortune falls.
The Bible says...
1. Love is a command.
2 John 1:6(NLT) – “Love means doing what God has commanded us, and He has commanded us to love one another...”
2. Love is a choice.
1 Corinthians 14:1(Msg) – “Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it – because it does.”
3. Love is a conduct.
1 John 3:18(NLT) – “...Let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.”
4. Love is a commitment.
1 John 4:16(CEV) – “God is love. If we keep on loving others, we will stay one in our hearts with God, and He will stay one with us.”
Love is neither a weak word nor a weak emotion. Love is strong and enduring.
Dvine or unconditional love (agape).
I. Why Do I Need to Live a Life Of Love?
1. Nothing I say will matter.
1 Corinthians 13:1(NLT) – “If I could speak in any language in heaven
or on earth, but I didn’t love others I would only be making meaningless
noise like a loud gong or a clanging symbol.”
2. Nothing I know will matter.
1 Corinthians 13:2(NCV) – “I may have the gift of prophecy; I may
understand all the secret things of God and all knowledge...But if I do
not have love, then I am nothing.”
3. Nothing I believe will matter.
1 Corinthians 13:2(LB) – “...Even if I had the gift of faith so that I
could speak to a mountain and make it move, I will still be worth nothing
at all without love.”
4. Nothing I give will matter.
1 Corinthians 13:3(NLT) – “If I gave everything I have to the poor
and even sacrificed my body...but I didn’t love others, I would be of no
value whatsoever.”
5. Nothing I accomplish will matter.
1 Corinthians 13:3(Msg) – “No matter what I say, what I believe and
what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.”
II. How Do I Build A Life Of Love?
THE HOLY SPIRIT PRODUCES AGAPE LOVE IN US, WE ARE NOT CAPABLE IN OUR
Gal 5:22-25 NIV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Love is at the top, and love is at the bottom of the list of graces.
Joy is love exalted,
Peace is love in repose,
Long-suffering is love enduring,
Gentleness is love in society,
Goodness is love in action,
Faith is love on the battlefield,
Meekness is love in Being taught,
Temperance is love in training.
“Today, you can start building a life of love, by first asking Jesus Christ into your heart.”
You can make a difference is the lives of your neighbors
Only love can enable us to bear and forbear, to give and forgive.
* Love is the heart’s ready and spontaneous response to recognized and appreciated forgiveness, either from God or men.
* Love is absolutely necessary to empower us to be considerate, compassionate, and caring toward others.
* If you are void of this powerful virtue in your heart and life, submit or consecrate yourself unreservedly to God and his Holy Spirit, who will come into your heart to abide, and this love will accompany.
* A love which will enable you not only to refuse to harbor resentment, cherish grievances, and store up grudges against foes, enemies, and critics, but to pour forth from your inmost soul an actual feeling of good will—the fruit of the Spirit.
Take Action!
In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote,
"Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did.
As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.
If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more.
If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less."
