{"id":57924,"date":"2025-10-02T10:38:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T07:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=57924"},"modified":"2025-10-10T00:48:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T21:48:30","slug":"57924","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2025\/10\/02\/57924\/","title":{"rendered":"LET YOUR LOVE CROSS BORDERS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Blessed be the Name of the Savior JESUS, our Strong Tower (Proverbs 18:10).<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have not been called to love only ourselves, or to love only those who share our faith or belong to our families. Instead, we have been called to love even those who are distant from our faith, our culture, and even our ideologies. These are the people the Bible refers to as our \u201cneighbors.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

True Love Transcends Familiar Boundaries<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jesus teaches that love should not be confined to those who already love us. In His Sermon on the Mount, He clearly explains:<\/p>\n

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\u201cIf you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.\u201d<\/strong>
\u2014 Matthew 5:46\u201348 (NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the Old Testament, people commonly understood their “neighbor” to mean someone from their own tribe, religion, or nation. As a result, the Israelites avoided association or fellowship with people from other nations, often viewing them as enemies. At the time, they weren\u2019t necessarily wrong, because they didn\u2019t yet have the full revelation of God\u2019s love<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But when Jesus Christ<\/strong> came \u2014 the Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 12:24)<\/em> \u2014 He brought the full truth<\/strong> and clarified that our neighbor is not just someone of the same tribe or faith.<\/p>\n

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Radical Love: Even for Your Enemies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jesus corrected the limited interpretation of neighborly love and taught a new, radical commandment:<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou have heard that it was said, \u2018Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.\u2019
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.\u201d<\/strong>
\u2014 Matthew 5:43\u201345 (NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This kind of love reflects the character of our heavenly Father \u2014 love that reaches both the just and the unjust, the good and the wicked.<\/p>\n

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Who Is My Neighbor? \u2014 Jesus’ Powerful Parable<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One day, a lawyer tried to test Jesus by asking how to inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him to love God and love his neighbor, he sought to justify himself by asking:<\/p>\n

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\u201cAnd who is my neighbor?\u201d<\/strong>
\u2014 Luke 10:29<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Jesus answered with the Parable of the Good Samaritan<\/strong> (Luke 10:30\u201337), where a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by robbers. A priest<\/strong> and a Levite<\/strong> (both fellow Jews) passed him by. But a Samaritan<\/strong> \u2014 considered an outsider and religious enemy by the Jews \u2014 stopped, cared for his wounds, and ensured his recovery.<\/p>\n

Jesus then asked:<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhich of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?\u201d
The expert in the law replied, \u2018The one who had mercy on him.\u2019
Jesus told him, \u2018Go and do likewise.\u2019\u201d<\/strong>
\u2014 Luke 10:36\u201337 (NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This parable powerfully illustrates that being a true neighbor means showing mercy<\/strong>, not just to those within our faith or tribe, but to anyone in need<\/strong>, regardless of differences in background or belief.<\/p>\n

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A Call to Reflect God\u2019s Universal Love<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jesus was teaching the Jews \u2014 and us today \u2014 that just as God makes the sun rise on the evil and the good<\/strong>, we too must shine the light of love, kindness, and generosity<\/strong> on all people \u2014 whether they are like us or not.<\/p>\n

Limiting love based on religion, tribe, political affiliation, or race closes us off from experiencing and reflecting the fullness of God’s grace<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBut love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.
Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High,
because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.\u201d<\/strong>
\u2014 Luke 6:35 (NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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We Need the Help of the Holy Spirit<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s be honest \u2014 loving our enemies<\/strong> or people completely different from us is not easy. In our human strength, we can\u2019t do it. But God hasn\u2019t left us alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He has given us the Holy Spirit<\/strong> to empower us and help us overcome our natural limitations.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.\u201d<\/strong>
\u2014 Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Let us, therefore, pray for grace<\/strong>, so that we can love beyond borders, and be perfect just as our Father in heaven is perfect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Maranatha! (Come, Lord Jesus!)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Feel free to share this message<\/strong> with others.<\/p>\n

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