Love your neighbour

“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.” - Leviticus 19v17-18

We often think of the Law as being a lot of rules and regulations without a lot of application for us today. The Law was indeed fulfilled in Christ and we are now free from the Law. Yet, throughout the Law we see many practical applications that Jesus used in the New Testament.

One of these is our subject for today – “Love you neighbour as yourself.” The context is dealing with neighbours, and we read some practical lessons – “Don’t hate your brother in your heart. When he offends you reprove him, but don’t take vengeance or harbour a grudge against him. Instead, love your neighbour as yourself.”

This command is part of what Jesus called the Great Commandment – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself.” Love is not only a New Testament teaching. It has been a part of God’s commands from the very start.

We are all going to deal with people today. Let’s try and apply the principles God gives us here:

Don’t hate him in your heart

If he offends you, deal with it

Don’t take vengeance

Don’t hold a grudge

Love him like you love yourself