10 practical ways to show it
This is 4th in a series of blogs on “Love” in the month of February.
“…love your neighbor as yourself.”
—Matthew 22:39
As Christians, we’re not just to love our next-door neighbor. Jesus said we’re to love even our enemies! (Matt. 5:44.) He says that if we’re children of our Father in heaven, then we’re to love all people.
It’s easy to love those who love you, yet Jesus calls us to a higher standard of loving others. He calls Christians to love the lovable and the unlovable. We’re to reflect Christ’s love, which is sacrificial in nature, isn’t it? It is, most definitely! We don’t like that part very much, but when we learn the discipline of sacrificing our own desires for the betterment of others, a funny thing happens to us—we feel good! I think this is because God designed us (created in His image) to give selflessly. In turn, this brings its own blessings of contentment and joy in knowing that we treated another with kindness.
…when we learn the discipline of sacrificing our own desires for the betterment of others, a funny thing happens to us — we feel good! Share on XAn enemy will probably not thank you, or even like that you did something good for them, but you must do so anyhow, with no strings attached. This will please God.
Let’s say you have a non-believing neighbor who you know is living a lifestyle that goes against what God’s law instructs. We are not called to judge our neighbor; instead, we need to treat them with respect. We don’t have to agree with their lifestyles or participate in their behaviors. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict them. First and foremost, they need to know God loves them exactly where they are at, even if we don’t like what they’re doing. This doesn’t mean we must approve of the things they do, but we are to love all people out of a concern for their eternal soul.
Loving people well draws people to God. By this, hopefully, they will turn from the world’s ways and turn towards God’s ways. It’s all grace, and we’re just the seed planters. No matter what, love well.
10 practical ways to love your neighbor:
- Be available in case of emergencies. Let them have your contact info in case they need you in the middle of the night. (For example, my next door neighbor went into labor at 2:00 AM and called me to be with their sleeping toddler, as they rushed off to have their second child. I waited there until one of their relatives came to take over.)
- If you live in cold climates where there’s lots of snow, shovel the sidewalk in front of your neighbor’s house, if they haven’t had the chance to do it themselves.
- Offer to mow their lawn if they go on vacation.
- When a new neighbor moves in, make them a special treat (cookies?) or bring them flowers from your garden as a way to say “welcome.”
- Have you ever run out of an ingredient in the middle of a recipe? I have! Because I took the time to get to know my next door neighbor, I was able to call over to see if they had a couple of extra eggs. (They did!) Offer to allow others to borrow things, too, like a rake or bicycle tire pump.
- Babysit in a pinch. Sometimes the sitter doesn’t show up, and your neighbor is left without anyone to care for the kids. If you’re around, be available for those kinds of instances.
- If they tell you a heart-breaking story, just listen. Let them know you’ll keep them in your prayers.
- Compliment them on their home improvements.
- If they’re sick, offer to run to the store to pick up something that they might need.
- Always be friendly, waving hello and warmly smiling at them.
Think Divinely: Love wins people’s hearts over to God, not judgment. How will you love your neighbor today?
Well-written, as usual, and incredibly practical. We should turn this into a checklist, and see how many of these ways of loving, or some others like them, we can see happen in a year’s time!
Great idea! Let’s make 2019 the year to reach out more to our neighbors.
Practice what you preach instead of being a hypocrite.
So true! Being a hypocrite is something that Jesus often called out in the Pharisees. We too need to be very careful to practice what we preach. Thanks for the reminder !
Today, I will love my neighbor by taking a birthday present to her. A small gift just to say she is being thought of and prayed for. 🙂 Loving our neighbors is very important. We all have unique stories and sometimes, people just need someone to listen.
Yay! I’m happy to hear that you’re helping out a neighbor today. The world needs more people to do these kinds of things. I wish you were my neighbor, Melissa! Bless you
Such wonderful suggestions Lisa and they are so practical such acts of kindness can really show the love of Christ to others. Thanks
Great practical tips, Lisa! I appreciate this important reminder that as Christians we are called to do more than simply love the people who love us back. Though we cannot approve of actions that go against God, we can show love in the ways you mentioned here. May we keep our eyes opened to demonstrate this kind of love in action!
In this day and age, we will have lots of opportunity to love those who don’t like us very much. (Just sayin’)
Great practical steps for how to show love to our neighbors. And a great summary statement about how to approach them spiritually and relationally in a non-judgmental way: “We are not called to judge our neighbor; instead, we need to treat them with respect. We don’t have to agree with their lifestyles or participate in their behaviors. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict them. First and foremost, they need to know God loves them exactly where they are at.” Great post, Lisa!
Thanks, my friend. Blessings to you!
Great post, Lisa. This point especially impacted me:
“An enemy will probably not thank you, or even like that you did something good for them, but you must do so anyhow, with no strings attached. This will please God.”
Why is that so hard to remember? That we do everything to please God and God alone. Help us remember, Lord.
Yeah, it is hard to remember. I get caught up often in the temporal, and so I need to regularly remind myself of the eternal.
Thank you, Lisa. You not only reminded us of God’s command to love others well, but what that looks like in such a very practical, every day way.
I love all your tips for showing God’s love to our neighbors. And not only does it make us feel good, but it does point them to God. This is my favorite line, “…to love all people out of a concern for their eternal soul.”
Thanks, Karen!
These are great suggestions, Lisa. It’s all too easy to not be involved in the lives of our neighbors. I know it’s hard for us. Everyone, including us, is busy with our own things. So sometimes it’s just the heartfelt “hi” on the docket, and that suddenly becomes a critical few seconds. Thank you for nudging us.