Love Your Neighbor

Matthew 22:37-Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

38-“This is the first and great commandment.

39-“And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

40-“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

In March 1992, Jeff and Kristi Leeland of Seattle, Washington found out that their baby boy Michael had cancer and needed a bone marrow transplant. Little Michael's older sister Amy was a perfect match, but the cost of the operation was $200,000 and Michael needed to have the transplant done within 90 days to live. To make things worse, Jeff's insurance, at the junior high where he taught, did not cover the procedure.

Fellow teacher Joe Kennedy told his class about Mr. Leeland's situation. Dameon, a seventh grade boy who walked with a limp and struggled in special education classes, heard about little Michael and visited the Leeland home.

"Mr. Leeland, don't make a big deal out of this.if your baby's in trouble, I want to help out."

Dameon, the kid others teased, reached out his hand and stuffed 12 five-dollar bills into Jeff's hand. It was the Dameon's life savings.

Word got out about "Dameon's gift." Some kids organized a walk-a-thon. Others contacted a local newspaper. Others held a car wash. Soon, the kids' wave of compassion poured out across Seattle. By late May, area TV stations picked up the story. The response from the news stories was overwhelming. Only four weeks after Dameon's gift of $60, the Michael Leeland Fund totaled over $220,000.

Michael got the marrow transplant. He lived. Dameon, the boy who gave sacrificially so another could live, accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior after becoming close with Michael's family. Having struggled for years with physical problems of his own, Dameon died from complications after he got an infection in one of his legs.

Michael Leeland lives on to tell Dameon's story, the unlikely hero, who gave his all to save the life of another and in the process, he received life everlasting.

Jesus doesn't tell me who my neighbor is all he tells me is that I'm supposed to love them as much as I love myself.

To treat them the same way I treat myself!

He doesn't tell me what color my neighbor is!

He doesn't tell me what kind of education my neighbor has!

He doesn't tell me if my neighbor is a good person or a bad person!

He doesn't ask me if my neighbor has hurt me, said mean things about me, disagreed with me!

He doesn't tell me if my neighbor is a rich person or a poor person!

He doesn't tell me if my neighbor looks like me, dresses like me, acts like me, or does not!

He doesn't tell me if my neighbor is Republican, Democrat, libertarian or what their political choice is!

He doesn't tell me if my neighbor is the person that lives next door to me or the person down the street or the person halfway around the World!

All Jesus tells me is that I am supposed to love my neighbor as myself!

What that tells me is it doesn't matter who they are, what they are, or where they are, whenever I get an opportunity to show love towards them, to reach out to them, that is exactly what I'm supposed to do!

How in the world are we supposed to do that?

If we're truly honest, we will admit that we struggle with this probably on a daily basis!

The only way that we can love God first and love ourselves and love our neighbors as ourselves is to ask God to help us with this!

The fake voice! (Kay Bray)

If we are not careful we will fake our way through pretending that we care about people!

"Oh I'll be praying for you but we don't!"

That we love people!

That we love our neighbor as ourselves!

It won't be genuine!

It won't be real and it really won't change us to become the way God wants us to be!

Okay the question really comes down to why should we love others why should we love our neighbor as our self?

In a movie that I watched recently this actor had to do community service at a church and so he talked to his way into being part of the play and in the play he is Jesus.

And they are telling the life of Jesus and he begins to understand and begins to believe in the Lord Jesus and I guess the turning point for him is when he is confronted with the lady that committed adultery.

Do you remember in the story Jesus knees down and is writing something in the dirt and no one knows exactly what he is writing.