How to be a good neighbor

In Mark 12;31 and Matthew 22:39 Jesus teaches “love your neighbor as yourself.” To be a good neighbor means that you are not to love the other person as much as yourself but rather to see the neighbor in unity with you. 

If you are a parent, your child is in some ways an extension of you. He or she is unified to you as part of your family. Your imprint is on them. The same goes with a sibling. You share a mother or father and their imprint is on both of you. It is undeniable by the nose you share or the dimple in both of your chins. 

This is how to be a good neighbor — recognize that God’s imprint is on both of your lives in the same manner. You were created by the same God and are a part of the same family. To love yourself is to love Christ in you. After all Scripture says that your body is God’s temple (see 1 Corinthians 6:19) and should be cared for. In the same way, your neighbor’s body is God’s temple, indwelled by God, and worthy of your love and respect. 

Recognizing Christ in the person standing before you will lead you into action. Suddenly, inconveniences seem small and petty. Just as 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that you are to honor God with your body, not treating it as your own but as a precious treasure that came at a great price, we are to treat our neighbor the same. The man or woman standing before you is not a body that you can do with as you please. They are not there for your pleasure or your convenience. They stand before you as a temple of the Holy Spirit and are united with you as a beautiful creation of God. 

To be a good neighbor is to recognize Christ in those around us and to act accordingly. Read How to show God’s love and join us on Sunday as we dive into hard questions of the Christian faith.