Loving Your Neighbor

Loving Your Neighbor

Matthew 22:36-40

Relationships are the key to life. Jesus said all of the commandments of God can be boiled down to just two - Loving God and Loving your neighbor as yourself. By themselves they are too vague for self centered humans to follow. So God expanded them to 10 and gave the 10 great commandments, and then the rest of the Bible further explains them. So we know we ought to Love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as our selves, and it seems common sense should show us practically how to at least to the latter. Funny thing about common sense, it isn’t so common. So I want to share 6 simple ways to love your neighbor as your self. If you do them you will also discover they can be called 6 ways to make people like you. It’s funny I hear people say they just don’t like me, and I don’t know why. Usually it is very simple -a lack of love. Love covers a multitude of sins the Bible says, and it also cover a multitude faults. We usually like someone because of how they treated us or those close to us. In College I had a real problem liking some guy in our dorm. He was good looking, popular and seemed to think he was better than others - at least in my mind. The truth is I really didn’t know him very well, and didn’t go out of my way to change it. Over time we discovered we had a connection. His grandfather was my pastor growing up, and our parents had been friends years ago. He became more friendly toward me, and I liked him (had positive feelings toward him). I didn’t have to struggle in my spirit to like him. What had changed? The way he acknowledged me. We never became close friends, but I felt different when we interacted. When someone’s name is brought up and people make comments positive or negative it almost always has to do with how they treated you. People say they are awful. We say they have always been nice to me. Or they say they are great, and we say they haven’t treated me great. We can’t control the others, but we can do things in our behavior that expresses the love Jesus calls for. And the return on that investment is that most people will like you in time also.

I Become genuinely Interested in Other People (Jesus said Deny Yourself)

You can make more friends in two months by becoming genuinely interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get people interested in you.(Dale Carnegie)

Jesus is the supreme example. He was called a friend of sinners

People are interested in themselves morning, noon, and night.

Group Photo -who do you look for first. Yourself

New York Telephone Company -study of the most often used word. 3,900 times in 500 phone calls. I ,I ,I ,I ,

Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.

Phil 2:4

I got to Starfire on State street because of the manager Jim. He always remembers you and speaks to you as a best friend. I used to wear a Carolina Panthers coat six monthes or a year ago. He still talks to me about how Carolina is doing when I walk in even though I haven’t worn it for about a year. Why can’t Christians do that and show Christ’s love, this guy isn’t even a Christian yet.

Love requires us to put ourselves out to do things for other people-things that require time, energy, unselfishness, and thoughtfulness.

This won’t work if you have ulterior motives, and you are doing things to get something.

II Smile

Genesis 33:10 "No, please accept them," Jacob said, "for what a relief it is to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the smile of God!

One tired waitress to another: “I always start the day with a smile—and get it over with.” - “Almanac” in Minneapolis Tribune

A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. - Charles Gordy in Thomaston, Ga., Times

How can anyone tell if we have the joy of knowing Jesus if we don’t smile. Our joy must reach our face.

For the benefit of others and it will also benefit ourselves.

Too many Christians are being controlled by their feelings not by their spirit. Led around by the nose.

I don’t feel like smiling. What is there to smile about?

My College professor Mr Pursley used to say no matter how bad it is, two truths can make us smile (rejoice)

“God is on his throne in heaven, and I’m still his child”