Real Hope: Loving Our NeighboursSample

To Love Is To Give

When we think about how to love people well, oftentimes ‘tolerance’ comes in to play: to love someone could mean to let them do what they want to; to leave their ideas and behaviors unchallenged or unquestioned.

God, I think, approaches love a little differently.

First of all, His love is shown by giving. And it’s a love defined by open-handed generosity: the whole world – not just some of it – were the benefactors of His gift. The gift God gave us was Jesus, the bringer of eternal life and our ultimate Savior. More than that though, Jesus is also a walking expression of love. He is love.

So, when we think about loving our neighbors, how did Jesus do that? He challenged the ideas of His age – including those of the ‘religious elite’, He comforted the ‘unclean’, He offered healing and He listened to, and valued, everyone.

If Jesus is our model of loving our neighbour, there are times when that love will look like offering an alternative perspective, lending a hand to those in need, sitting with someone who’s lonely, or praying for someone who’s looking for God’s intervention.

‘Love’ as defined by God, is strong, kind, insightful and generous. When we seek to love our neighbor well, what aspect of love do they need today?

Written by LAURA BENNETT

Want more? Check out the Real Hope Conversations Podcast and listen as we delve further into the topic of Loving Our Neighbours. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.