Title: Love Your Neighbor
love your neighbor
Text: Matthew 22: 39-40
“The second is like this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ These two commandments are all the law and the prophets.”
Professor Son Bong-ho said this.
“When I speak to young students, I sometimes ask anyone who knows Dr. Jang Ki-ryeo to raise their hand. Few students raise their hands. However, there are many students who know Mother Teresa. It's a bit disappointing to know foreign saints well but not Korean saints. Dr. Jang Ki-ryeo passed away 10 years ago after spending her life on the principle of no-ownership. He served as a professor at Seoul National University, Pusan National University, and the director of Busan Gospel Hospital, but when he passed away, there was no room. It is said that all of his possessions were distributed to the poor. This is an anecdote when you were the director of Busan Gospel Hospital. A person who had a difficult life had to be discharged from the hospital, but when he did not have money, Dr. Jang Ki-ryeo noticed the fact and made him escape through the back door of the hospital. Through this work, I was able to feel his consideration and affection for his poor neighbors.
On the 25th of June, he left his wife and children in North Korea and went to South Korea with only one son. His wife is known as the model for ‘An Bin’ in Lee Kwang-soo’s ‘Love’. The letter he wrote in 1990 while drawing his wife breaks our hearts.
"I woke up to the sound of the rain hitting the window as if it were you. It's unlikely, but I ran to open the door just in case, but there was only darkness... I couldn't control my broken heart, so I turned on the light and wrote this letter. Honey..."
His disciple Dr. Kim Yun-kyung, who helped North Korea a lot in the United States, agreed with the North Korean authorities to arrange a meeting with Jang Ki-ryeo in China. But he vehemently turned down the opportunity. The reason was that enjoying such privileges would increase the sorrow of other separated families. Recently, a book called “Jang Gi-ryeo,” was published. He must put us to shame.
Dr. Jang Ki-ryeo, who lived with the longing for his wife and family he left behind in the North, was a truly beautiful person who silently practiced love for his neighbor throughout his life.
“Do not take revenge, do not grumble against your fellow men, love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18).
Among Van Dyck's books, there is a book called "The 4th Doctor". It tells the story of a man who had a treasure of price and wanted to give it to Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem. As he was looking for Jesus, he met a poor, poor, hardworking man on the road and sold his treasure to help them. So he did not see Jesus all his life and only looked at the shadow of Jesus. But on his deathbed, he heard a mysterious voice.
“You gave it to the poor and needy, and as you gave it you did it to me.”
A kind person is compassionate and helpful to others, showing love and mercy. Because the heart of a kind person is full of love, there are no evil thoughts or harsh thoughts, and there is peace. They are kind to people and give relief without expecting anything in return. Therefore, the kind person will receive mercy from God according to what they have done, receive love and grace, and their soul will prosper.
“The kind person benefits his soul, but the cruel person harms his own body” (Proverbs 11:17).
It happened when Japanese writer Ayako Miura opened a hole-in-the-wall shop. With God's blessing, the store prospered day by day, but then a problem arose. It was clamoring that the stores next door couldn't do it. she told her husband 'I didn't know that the success of our store was what made the store next door go bankrupt. Let's reduce the store. I think this is the true will of God.’ She downsized the store and sent customers to the next store. As a result, I had time left, and I wrote while meditating on the love of God. That article is a novel called "The Freezing Point". The book became a bestseller immediately upon publication. We have experienced the fact that God's blessings come to those who meditate on God's love and strive to live according to His will.
Jesus said that the core of the law is love of God and love of neighbor. In 1 John, it is said that those who do not love their visible neighbors cannot love the invisible God. God gives amazing promises of blessings to those who know God in detail and live by expressing love to their neighbors. Like Ayako Miura, it is true love for your neighbor to live by thinking of your neighbor's work as your own.
“Jesus answered and said to them, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and met a robber, and the robbers stripped him of his clothes and beat him, and left him almost dead. When he came to that place, he saw him and fled by it, but a certain Samaritan, while on his journey, came there and saw him, and had compassion on him, and went near, poured oil and wine on his wounds, bound them up, put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he paid denarii to the owner of the inn. Giving them both away, he said, "Take care of this man, and if it costs more, I will pay it back when I return." Which of these three do you think is the neighbor to the man who was struck by the robbers? He said, "The one who showed mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go, do likewise." “(Luke 10: 30-37)
Neighborhood refers to human relationships that help each other, cooperate, and live together in one area. In today's world, with the development of transportation and communication, all mankind has gradually formed a global village and become close neighbors. As G. Ady said, "Everyone is the architect of his own destiny, but his neighbor oversees his construction," he said, "You can't live a day without a neighbor." All people in the world should become cousins and live in peace. A good neighbor relationship should be formed not only between individuals and families, but also between countries and countries. In order to get a good neighbor, as the text says, I first love my neighbor as myself, and rather than meddling in the work of my neighbor, I must actively help when I am in trouble. You don't know how helpful it is if people become good neighbors for the rest of their lives.
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love as Christ loved you, who gave himself up for us as a fragrant sacrifice and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5: 1-2)
I remember an impressive story told by a missionary serving in South Africa. The missionary happened to witness a fight between a cobra and a black mamma snake. The mamma snake quickly drooped and died. The cobra slowly began to swallow the dead mamma snake. But the problem was the cobra's own poison inside the mamma snake. When the mamma snake was half-swallowed, the poison in it took effect. In the end, the cobra also suffered several severe convulsions and then died.
We need to know that poisons that kill our neighbors eventually kill us. A beautiful heart that builds up neighbors is the power that strengthens oneself. Even though our lives today are competitive and we have to overcome our neighbors to survive, the Lord wants us to be humble people who serve our neighbors. How do you meet your neighbors? Are you a competitor and an enemy to be defeated? Or are you a colleague who needs to go hand in hand and work together? Let's be people who bring joy to our neighbors. The Lord also bought this world not for his own joy, but for the joy of others. (Romans 15:2-3)
“Therefore, putting away falsehood, let each one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25).
As creatures, to love and fear God the Creator is the greatest commandment we must keep. The next most important thing is to love your neighbor as yourself. God commanded people who were made in His image to love one another. It is just as parents want their children to honor their parents and to live in friendship and love between brothers and sisters. Just as children resemble their parents, we too have the image of God. Therefore, we must respect each other. If we despise our brother, we despise the image of God. We go to church and confess that we love God, offer gifts and sing praises, but we often fail in the love of neighbor that God wants the most. What God wants us to do is to humbly serve God and love our neighbors as ourselves. Think about what kind of love you will give to your neighbor today.
Faith, hope, and love The greatest of these three is love (1 Corinthians 13:13). It is said that love is the salt of life and love is the fulfillment of the law. “Do not owe anyone except to love one another, for the one who loves others has fulfilled the law. If there are other commandments such as, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not murder, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, We have all heard the saying, “Love as you love.” Love does no evil to its neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10).
Also, only those who love can know God. (1 John 4:7)
I bless you all to love God and your neighbors and live in the blessings that God has given you.
*Prayer: God of love, help us to bear with those who rebelled against you and realize the grace of forgiving with infinite love, so that we too can imitate you, forgive others' transgressions and sins, and be born again as saints who can show love. I confess that the love I have given is not perfect compared to the love I received from God. Help me to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength, and love my neighbor as myself. May we always remember that those who love God love our neighbors. Let us live by expressing our love for God to our neighbors. We pray in the name of our Savior Jesus. Amen