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"The
most important one," answered Jesus, "is
this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: Love your
neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these."-
Mark 12:29-31 (NIV)
All
the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
- Matt 22:40 (NIV) |
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Not
only are these two commandments the most important ones, all of the
rest of the commandments of God "hang" on them! |
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Jesus is
saying that if you can keep these two commandments, you will
automatically, by nature, from your heart, keep the rest of the
commandments of God, and if you cannot keep these two commandments,
you cannot keep the rest, and you cannot please God.
Last week,
we studied the Greatest commandment of all, to love the Lord our God
with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This week we'll study
the Second great commandment. This week I challenge you to: |
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Love
Your Neighbor As Yourself. |
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Heavenly
Father, we praise You and thank You for your love and for your Word.
Thank you Lord, for this time that we can gather from the four
corners of the world to hear the message you have for us today. Lord,
clear our hearts and minds of the things of the day and help us to
focus on Your word for us today. oly mjjjkjklk Holy Spirit come teach
us through Your word what we need to understand, and remind us this
week of what we learn today and show us how to put it into practice.
Lord Jesus, we give you this day. In Your name alone we pray. Amen. |
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The
commandments of God and the rules of men |
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Remember
from last time we said that the Pharisees and Scribes turned God's
commandments into a system of rules, traditions and customs so
complex that only they could keep track of them, and in doing so they
set themselves above the people.
Starting
with the 10 Commandments and working their way through the Old
Testament, they made a list of more than 500 rules and regulations
based around keeping God's instructions. They had laws for keeping
Sabbath. They had civil laws. They had moral laws. They had family
laws. They had dietary laws. And other laws too. |
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They
took the commandments that God wanted written on their hearts, and
codified them into a bunch of rules in a book. |
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They were
diligent to follow the letter of the law, but forgot the spirit of
the law - why God gave them the commandments in the first place.
In Matthew
23:23-24 Jesus confronted them for their hypocrisy.
"Woe
to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give
a tenth of your spices-- mint, dill and cummin. But you have
neglected the more important matters of the law-- justice, mercy and
faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without
neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but
swallow a camel. - Matt 23:23-24 (NIV)
All through
Jesus' ministry, He taught that it's not the stuff we do that pleases
God, but rather the motivations that cause us to what we do. It's not
our sacrifices, but our mercy toward others, not our gifts, but our
desire to honor God that matters to God.
In the
temple, the Pharisees, Saduccees, and Herodians tried to trap Jesus
in His words, by asking Him controversial questions in front of the
crowds. With every answer, our Lord stopped them in their tracks,
exposing their ignorance of the things of God.
In Mark
12:28-34, we read last week of a scribe who broke ranks with the
others, and asked Jesus a question because he really wanted to hear
what Jesus had to say. The scripture says:
One of
the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that
Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the
commandments, which is the most important?" Mark 12:28-29 (NIV)
He asked
Jesus a question that he personally had to wrestle with every day,
and a question that his students surely asked him from time to time. |
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Where
do we start? |
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With so
many rules, customs, and traditions regarding the commandments of
God, it seems reasonable to want to learn the most important ones
first. Are there any commandments that God places in order of
preference before all the others? If so, what are they?
"The
most important one," answered Jesus, "is
this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your
neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
- Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)
In Matthew
22:40, Jesus adds,
All
the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
- Matt 22:40 (NIV)
Not only
are these two commandments the most important ones, all of the rest
of the commandments of God "hang" on them. |
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They
are summarized and contingent on these two commandments. |
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If you can
keep the greatest two commandments, you will by nature keep the rest,
and if you cannot keep the two commandments, you cannot keep the
rest, and you cannot please God.
The First
Great Commandment regards our relationship with God, and we studied
that last week. If we love the Lord our God with all of our heart,
soul, mind, and strength we will have no other gods before Him. We
will make no idols and worship them. We will not take His name in
vain. We will keep the Sabbath. We will want to know Him and we'll
desire to please Him in all that we do. We talked about this last time.
The Second
Great commandment regards our relationship with other people. If we
love our neighbors as ourselves we will take care of our families. We
will honor our parents. We will not steal. We will not kill. We will
not lie. We will not commit adultery. We will not desire other
people's stuff. We will also love our enemies, and pray for those who
persecute us. We will look after orphans and widows in their
distress. We'll restore our fallen brothers and sisters gently. We'll
speak the truth in love, and we'll keep ourselves from being polluted
by the world.
In Romans
13:9-10, Paul said:
The
commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not
murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and
whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one
rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm
to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans
13:9-10 (NIV)
Today we're
going to spend our time studying this Second Great Commandment. Love your
neighbor as yourself. |
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Loving
your neighbor as yourself means to do the same things for others
that you do for yourself. |
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When you
are hungry, don't you go and feed yourself? And when you do, don't
you actively seek out, as often as possible, what would please you to
eat? And when you are thirsty, don't you seek out something good to
drink? Likewise, when you are cold, don't you put on a warm coat or
sweater? Don't you usually pick the one that makes you the most
comfortable? When your shoes wear out, don't you go get new ones,
preferably ones that are comfortable and look nice? And when you are
feeling a bit down, don't you sometimes go do something special just
for you, like go shopping, or to a movie or whatever. Doesn't that
make your day brighter?
You see
where I'm going with this?
We love
ourselves so much that we actively seek to care for and nourish our
body, mind and soul. We go to great lengths to keep ourselves going,
and be as happy as possible, given our circumstances. |
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Jesus
is telling us to love our neighbor the same way we love ourselves. |
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That means
do for others the same things we do for ourselves, and in the same
measure we do for ourselves, whenever possible.
Too often,
the measure we use in our charity is much smaller than the measure we
use on ourselves. Instead of whatever is necessary, we use whatever
is convenient, or whatever I'm not using, or whatever is in the
pantry that I don't like. Surely, any giving we do, and any help we
give is useful to the Kingdom of God, but is giving only what won't
put us out the same thing as loving our neighbor as ourselves? I
don't think so. I think Jesus is calling us to a higher standard. |
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It's
a question of weights and measures. |
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Jesus said,
in Mark 4:24,
"Consider
carefully what you hear," he continued. "With
the measure you use, it will be measured to you-- and even more. (NIV)
One theme
that pops up all through the Bible is dishonesty in weights and
measures. Dishonest merchants would sometimes cheat unsuspecting
customers by weighing out their product using light weights, or
measure with short measuring sticks. Instead of getting a full ephah
of grain, maybe the customer only got 4/5 of an ephah because the
merchant's measuring container was a little smaller than it should
be. The merchant would be making a dishonest profit by shortchanging
his customers, not giving them the full measure for the price. |
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God
hates it when people do not give to the full mesasure. |
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In
Leviticus 19:35-36, God commands
"`Do
not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or
quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and
an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. (NIV)
In Proverbs
11:1, it says
The LORD
abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight. (NIV)
And again,
in Proverbs 20:10,
Differing
weights and differing measures-- the LORD detests them both. (NIV) |
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The
Bible has strong words toward people using dishonest measures. |
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In
Deuteronomy 25:13-16, God says,
Do not
have two differing weights in your bag-- one heavy, one light. Do not
have two differing measures in your house-- one large, one small. You
must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may
live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. For the LORD
your God detests anyone who does these things, anyone who deals
dishonestly. (NIV)
And in
Micah 6:10-12 He says,
Am I
still to forget, O wicked house, your ill-gotten treasures and the
short ephah, which is accursed? Shall I acquit a man with dishonest
scales, with a bag of false weights? Her rich men are violent; her
people are liars and their tongues speak deceitfully. (NIV) |
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What
measures are you using when you love someone? |
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What
measures are you using when you love someone? Are you giving to them
the same attention, the same earnestness, the same ability, the same
priority that you give to yourself when you have a need? Are you
weighing with light weights? Are you doing what is right, or only
what is convenient?
Obviously,
we're not always in a position to do as much as someone who comes
across our path needs, but we are always in a position to do
something to help. We are always in a position to be willing to give
what we have to someone who needs it more than we do. |
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Loving
your neighbor means doing all you can whenever you can. |
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We have a
choice - do what is convenient, or do what is right. We see a family
on the side of the road with a sign saying "please help."
We can give them 5 dollars and say be well and be fed, or we can
bring them in out of the cold, feed them, take care of them, and help
them get on their feet. What's the cost? Some time and some money.
What is the gain? An undeniable blessing for them and for you.
In Luke
16:9, Jesus said
"use
worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves, so when it is gone,
you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." (NIV)
If you've
got it, it's a gift from God, intended to be shared. Even if it isn't
much, share what you have and be a blessing every chance God gives
you. If you take that attitude, God will send people who need what
you're willing to give.
Proverbs
3:27-28 says,
Do not
withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to
act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it
tomorrow"-- when you now have it with you (NIV)
In Isaiah
58:6-8, God commands,
"Is
not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of
injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the
naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and
blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your
healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before
you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. (NIV) |
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God
is saying that above all things we need to take care of each other. |
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God is
saying that above all things we need to take care of each other.
There is so much darkness in our world, so much danger, so much
deceit, so much depravity. It's easy to fall in our world, and God
has given us the command to do whatever it takes to preserve and
restore people from the bondage of the world. If you were on a
sinking ship, you would fight for your survival with all that you
have. If your children were drowning you'd fight for their survival
with all that you have.
Your
neighbor is drowning in this world, struggling against the powers of
darkness, chained to a boat that is going down. God has sent you to
where they are to fight for their survival with all that He has! He
has given you His word - the sword of the Spirit. He has given you
His power - that raised Christ from the dead. He has given you His
salvation - freedom from bondage and the hope of eternal life. He has
given you His strength - the promise that He will not let the enemy
overtake you.
In Isaiah
43:2, God says
When you
pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass
through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk
through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you
ablaze. (NIV)
God has
given you His heart - the revelation of His work and the motivation
to act. You have all that you need to love people back to life, to
help them in their distress, to remind them of God's love, and to be
a tangible expression of His faithfulness to them.
The early
church gave all that they could to make sure the needy among them
were taken care of. In Acts 2:45-47, Luke tells us that
All the
believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their
possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day
they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke
bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord
added to their number daily those who were being saved. (NIV) |
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Loving
your neighbor as yourself means doing for others what you'd like
them to do for you. |
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In Matthew
7:12, Jesus said,
So
in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for
this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (NIV)
That's the
"Golden Rule" and is the minimum standard we should strive
for. How many times have you been in a situation that would have been
better or easier to get through if you had someone with you who had
been through the same situation, and who had already learned the
lesson God was trying to teach you through it?
Maybe you
had a flat tire late at night in the middle of nowhere, or were a
stranger in a new place, or maybe you just felt lonely and scared and
needed someone to be with you? Maybe you had a crisis of faith and
the enemy was trying to tell you that you had really blown it this
time and that God wouldn't forgive you. Or worse, that God didn't
love you anymore because you keep slipping up?
All of us
have times when we needed some reassurance of God's love for us. All
of us have times of physical, emotional, spiritual, or situational
trials. All of us undergo spiritual warfare.
In 1 Peter
5:8, Peter warns us to
Be
self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (NIV)
And Jesus
told us, in John 10:10 that
The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that
they may have life, and have it to the full. (NIV) |
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Remember
when you were rescued by a friend? |
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Just when
it seemed hopeless, out of nowhere a friend popped up and said the
right thing or did something unexpected to help and the situation was
resolved! All of us can testify of that happening to us at one time
or another. God knew you were struggling, and you needed a tangible
expression of His love in your life, so He sent one. Remember how you
felt the first time you realized that God provided for your needs
through another person? |
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God
is calling you to be that person! |
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God has
carried you through your tests so that you can be His testimony to
others of His faithfulness. He has equipped and prepared you to be
His help to someone else.
In
Ephesians 2:10, Paul declares
For we
are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV) |
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Remember
when you were lost and God sent someone to show you the truth? |
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Some of you
were at the end of your rope. Some of you were in bondage to the
things of the world. Some of you were without hope for the future.
Some of you were constantly in pursuit of the lust of the eyes, the
lust of the flesh, and the pride of life and no matter what you
tried, or did, or who you slept with, you couldn't fill the emptiness
inside you.
Your soul
cried out to God and He answered you, through someone willing to love
you as He loves you. Now it's your turn. God wants you to share His
salvation with others, and if you are willing to be available He will
send you friends to share the message with, so be ready!
In 1 Peter
3:15-16 Peter says,
But in
your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that
you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear
conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good
behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. (NIV)
You have
reasons for the hope you have, the promises of God for those who
believe. His promises need to be shared, especially with people who
are going through tough times! |
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How
do we know what to do? |
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Remember
the Golden Rule: Do for others as you'd have them do to you. Try and
put yourself in that situation, and let God tell you what you would
need from someone if you were there, then do what He tells you to do.
If you were in the same situation, how would you feel? What would you
need? Is there an underlying cause that needs to be addressed before
any symptoms need to be treated? What would Jesus do? Ask Him! God's
revelation of His work is our invitation to be a part of that work.
If it's an
obvious need - they are hungry, or are lost, or out of gas and need
help pushing their car to the gas station, or otherwise need a hand,
stop what you're doing and give them a hand. You know that sooner or
later you'll be in a similar situation and you know how much you'll
appreciate the help.
In Psalm
41:1 it says
Blessed
is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of
trouble. (NIV)
And in
Isaiah 58:9-11, the prophet adds
Then you
will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he
will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of
oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you
spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the
oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night
will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will
satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your
frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose
waters never fail. (NIV)
If a
person's need isn't obvious, go ahead and ask them what's going on
with them. Maybe they just need someone to talk to or pray with. If
God puts you where they are and puts it in your heart go to them it
isn't by chance! That person either needs to hear what God has given
you to say, or you need to hear what God has given them to say.
Maybe you
need to hear what God has given you to say! I can't tell you how many
times God has ministered to me through my own mouth. Whenever you are
available to let God tell people something through you it's an
amazing thing. Sometimes I think to myself "gee I wish I had
thought of that! I need to write that down!"
No matter
what people are going through, you can always walk up to them and
tell them that God told you to tell them that He loves them. Whenever
you feel led to do that you're telling them the truth, and it's a
truth that people don't hear enough. |
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Be
what you need. |
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No matter
the situation, if you can put yourself in it, and let God tell you
what you'd need, you'll know what to do. In Hebrews 13:3, the author
exhorts us to,
Remember
those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who
are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. (NIV)
In
Leviticus 19:13-18, God says
"'Do
not defraud your neighbor or rob him. "'Do not hold back the
wages of a hired man overnight. "'Do not curse the deaf or put a
stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the
LORD. "'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the
poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
"'Do not go about spreading slander among your people. "'Do
not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.
"'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor
frankly so you will not share in his guilt. "'Do not seek
revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your
neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. (NIV) |
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Give
and it will be given to you. |
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In Luke
6:36-38, Jesus tells us to
Be
merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Do not judge, and
you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be
condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be
given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and
running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you
use, it will be measured to you." (NIV) |
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The
entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor
as yourself ." - Galations 5:14 |
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Jesus told
the teacher of the Law that to love the Lord, and to love one's
neighbor were the greatest commandments and summarized the entire Law
of God for man. Luke 10:29-37 records the teacher's response. Luke says
But he
wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my
neighbor?" In reply Jesus said: "A man
was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands
of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away,
leaving him half dead.
A
priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the
man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came
to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But
a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw
him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took
him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two
silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he
said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense
you may have.'
"Which
of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into
the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied,
"The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go
and do likewise." (NIV)
James 2:8 says
If you
really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your
neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.- James 2:8 (NIV) |
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We
have a choice - do what is convenient, or do what is right. Let's
choose what is right. |
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With the
measure we use on ourselves we need to measure out our kindness to
others. With the help that we would want to receive in our distress
we need to help others in their distress.
With the
grace and mercy God gave us through a friend when we were lost we
need to be a friend and give to someone who's lost and show them the
Way, the Truth, and the Life. With the comfort we received when we
were mourning, we need to comfort someone who mourns now. |
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We
have been given freely. Let's freely give. |
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Let's pray:
Father
thank You, for Your love and for Your word. Thank You for the message
of Your will for us, and the challenge to love our neighbors as
ourselves. Jesus, you are our teacher and example, showing us by your
actions and your words how to love people with the love of God and to
show compassion with the compassion of God.
Teach us,
Lord, through your word. Holy Spirit remind us of Jesus when we see a
friend in need, show us what is right to do, and empower us to act as
helping hand of God. Speak through us when we need to speak, and help
us be quiet when we need to just sit and listen. Make us Your hands
and feet and arms and mouth, our Gracious, Merciful Lord. In Jesus'
name, for Your Honor and Glory. Amen! |
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Rev.Michael
Packard
Copyright
1999 Practically Righteous Ministries - All Rights Reserved |
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