Daily Walk Through the New Testament

July 10

Read Luke 10:8-29

Wouldn’t it be easier to follow Jesus’ command to love “your neighbor as yourself” (vs. 27) if we could re-define a few of His words? First, we might change the word love to tolerate. That way, we could even avoid interaction with the guy next door altogether! Second, we could replace the word neighbor with acquaintance. Neighbor sounds too much like friend and requires attention to that person’s needs. Third, we might drop the phrase “as yourself.” There is no way the guy next door should be loved as much as the person we see in the mirror each morning! Finally, we could assume Jesus meant to say we should love our “neighbors” — that is, plural. We could focus on how loving we are to those who are easy to love and let ourselves off the hook for being unloving toward just one guy next door. We’d feel better about our tendency to pick and choose whom we love.
With a few simple changes, Jesus’ command is pretty easy. But obviously, keeping a “version” of His command that we have reformed to our tastes isn’t really obedience. It’s catering to our selfishness — living by the flesh — not following Jesus or pleasing the Father — living by the Spirit. Godly love is sacrificial, seeks the lost, and serves others selflessly.
Aim to build relationships with your neighbors, know their spiritual condition, and meet their needs. We’ll never take strides toward reaching our neighbors for Christ until we let God’s love fill and direct our lives.