Day 2: Who is my neighbor?
But [the expert in the Law] wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).
Father, God of all love and compassion, You have shown us what it is to love—You are love. You have poured Your love out into our hearts (Romans 5:5), and You have called us into loving relationship with You.
Your greatest requirement, our Lord Jesus reminded us, is to “‘Love the Lord your God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind.’” And then You require us to love our neighbor as ourself (Luke 10:27).
O God of love, You give so generously. You pour (Romans 5:5), and You lavish (1 John 3:1), You surpass, and You fill (Ephesians 3:19). You emptied, and You offered, You sacrificed and You lay down. And You established for us the true standard of love:
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16).
Enable us O Lord! By Your Holy Spirit You pour Your love into our hearts (Romans 5:5), and it is only by Your Spirit that we can pour love into the lives of others. For in our own strength we only seek to justify ourselves. We set limits and barriers and beg restrictions with our question, "And who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:29).
And in answer You tell a story of love that sets no limits, that breaks down all barriers, that defies restrictions. And in that story we get a glimpse of the love You gave to us, because …while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of his Son… (Romans 5:10).
You found us ravaged by sin and left for dead. But You bandaged our mortal wounds, and poured in oil and wine. And You saw to our future and to our complete healing (Luke 10:34-35).
Lord, You have reminded us that the one who is forgiven much loves much (Luke 7:44-47). So as You send us out to our neighbor with the instruction, "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37), may we never dare ask, "Who is my neighbor?"
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