Do you really know your neighbor?

“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” – Gal 5:14

Do you really know your neighbor?  Specifically, I’m talking about your brothers and sisters in the congregation.  Even as an Elder, I struggle with this one.  Although I see each of you at Sunday Worship on Sundays I struggle to really know you as individuals.  Maybe you struggle with the same things.

What are their likes and dislikes?  What are their hobbies or things that interest them? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses?

I ask these questions because as we strive to follow our Lord each and everyday, we do it with various interests, strengths and weaknesses.  Many things confront our paths in this struggle to live our lives pleasing before God.

Can you really do it alone?  I can’t.  Aside from attendance at the assembly on Sundays being a necessity; one of the greatest blessings we share is the common bond of brotherhood in Jesus Christ.  The bond reaches across just Sundays, and reaches into our everyday lives.

Have you considered reaching out to a brother or sister who needs it?  Have you considered being the strength for someone else’s weakness?  The rock for their instability?  The arm to hold onto for their stumbling?  The light for the wanderer?  The feet for those who can go no further on their own?  The Shelter for those in the middle of a storm?  The instructor of the unlearned? – You get the message.

May I encourage you to look across the isle, choose a neighbor that you don’t know so well, and get to know them.  Find opportunity to spend time with them.  Invite them over.  We need to be a close family of God.  We need to desire the presence of each other above anything the world has to offer.  Doing this will not only make someone else feel good, it will bless you immensely and strengthen you as a Christian.  Think about it!