Loving Your Neighbors Starts Here

If I asked you specific questions about how you’re loving your neighbors right now, would your answers be vague or would you have a specific story to tell? There’s no judgment here if you’re not loving your neighbors as you know you should. Most Christians in Western nations aren’t. So stories aside, the big important question is this: Do you want to start loving your neighbors? If you’re honest with yourself, what are your thoughts and feelings about loving your neighbors right now?

Once Rose honestly considered that question, everything changed.

Here’s what happened.

Rose’s friend, Leatrice (pictured lower right) attended our recent Blue Cord Women’s conference where she heard about our new Blue Cord Discipleship Study based on The Blue Cord book. Leatrice started leading Rose and several friends through the 7-week study.

One of the most impactful parts of the study is creating a personal “I will” statement at the end of each week. Rose’s first “I will” statement was, “I will love my neighbor as myself” after realizing through the study that while she loves the LORD and His Word, she hadn’t been loving her neighbors.

Right after Rose created that “I will” statement, her next-door neighbor invited her to a holiday cookout. Rose went looking for opportunities to practice loving her neighbors. She never expected what happened next.

 

Love in Action

As she was filling her plate with picnic food, she met “Mohammad.” While making small talk, she discovered that he had just transitioned from the Nation of Islam to Sunni Muslim, and he was eager to talk with her about his faith transition and other spiritual things. At one point, he brought up Adam. That’s when Rose told him that Jesus was the second Adam.

Mohammad didn’t know much about Jesus and wanted to know more. He wondered how she knew that Jesus was the second Adam. Rose told him that she’d learned this from the Bible. “I’ve never seen a Bible before,” Mohammad told her.

“Would you like to study what the Holy Bible says about Jesus with me?”

“Yes,” Mohammad said. So Rose grabbed her beloved Bible from the backseat of her car. Then she and Mohammad started studying what Scripture said about Jesus. Over hamburgers and watermelon, the Holy Spirit nudged her,

“Give him your Bible.”

Her heart said, “Oh no, LORD, not this Bible” even as her mouth said out loud, “Mohammad, I want you to have my Bible.”

“I can’t take your Bible,” he told her. She just smiled, left the Bible on a table near him, and began visiting with other neighbors.

Sometime later, Mohammad sought her out to say, “Thank you for this Bible. I can’t wait to study it,”

Loving Your Neighbors Starts Here

I love this story because just a few weeks ago, Rose wasn’t thinking about loving her neighbors. And Mohammad didn’t know about Jesus. Now Leatrice is proudly cheering Rose on as she shines the light of Jesus while loving her neighbors. And Mohammad is reading the Bible.

There are other behind-the-scenes heroes in this story too – our ministry partners. This story would not have happened without them. Their gifts are mobilizing more people like Rose to love their neighbors and share Jesus with more people like Mohammad. Thank you hardly seems enough.

You can be a behind-the-scenes hero too! Come be a part of what God’s doing here. Go HERE to set up a $25, $50, or $100 monthly recurring gift now. We need your support.

Think It Through

  • If you’re being honest with yourself, what is true about your thoughts and feelings about loving your neighbors?
  • Would you give your favorite Bible to someone you just met?
  • What are your thoughts/feelings about this statement: “As you study God’s Word and seek his love, you won’t think twice about what other people think about your biblical faith…you will want to tell others about that kind of love.”

 

 

 

 

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