Loving Our Neighbors
Notes
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Introduction
Specific prayer for the president, our government, SCOTUS.
Prayer
Welcome:
Importance of loving people:
Watchman Nee, a Chinese evangelist, tells of a Christian he once knew in China. He was a rice farmer, and his fields lay high on a mountain. Every day he pumped water into the paddies of new rice. And every morning he returned to find that an unbelieving neighbor who lived down the hill had opened the dikes surrounding the Christian’s field to let the water fill his own. For a while the Christian ignored the injustice, but at last he became desperate. What should he do? His own rice would die if this continued. How long could it go on? The Christians met, prayed, and came up with this solution. The next day the Christian farmer rose early in the morning and first filled his neighbor’s fields; then he attended to his own. Watchman Nee tells how the neighbor became a Christian, his unbelief overcome by a genuine demonstration of a Christian’s love for others.
Build setting:
Jesus had sent out his followers to preach.
At their return, Jesus tells them not to rejoice because of the success given to them but because their names are written in heaven.
Jesus then praises God for hiding trough from the wise but revealing the truth to little children.
Then Jesus tells all who surround him:
24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Importance of loving people:
Watchman Nee, a Chinese evangelist, tells of a Christian he once knew in China. He was a rice farmer, and his fields lay high on a mountain. Every day he pumped water into the paddies of new rice. And every morning he returned to find that an unbelieving neighbor who lived down the hill had opened the dikes surrounding the Christian’s field to let the water fill his own. For a while the Christian ignored the injustice, but at last he became desperate. What should he do? His own rice would die if this continued. How long could it go on? The Christians met, prayed, and came up with this solution. The next day the Christian farmer rose early in the morning and first filled his neighbor’s fields; then he attended to his own. Watchman Nee tells how the neighbor became a Christian, his unbelief overcome by a genuine demonstration of a Christian’s love for others.
Transition to Passage
Key Take Away: To prove our faith as true, we are to practice Christ centered love towards our neighbors.
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.
Pray
1. As children of God, we must love God and our neighbors.
1. As children of God, we must love God and our neighbors.
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”
27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
How are we to love God?
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
a. We must love God with all of ourselves.
12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deut 6:
We must come into our worship services with joyous celebration that gives birth to awe and corporate worship. But, even corporate gatherings isn’t enough. We must give God our time, financial decisions, our family, our longings, hopes, and dreams, every thought needs to be held captive in the light of the glory of God. To love God is for a person to surrender every aspect of themselves to the feet of Jesus.
b. We are to love God through saving faith in Christ.
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Only true believers are able to love God and their neighbors. Love, true love is born out of the mercy and love experienced by the believer as they receive it from God the father. The mercies we experience are life changing and transformative.
5 Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Transitioning to Point two:
18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
If we are truly in love with God, we will love our neighbors.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Our love towards others is the over flow of love we experience from God. Here we see that the lawyer correctly answers Jesus’ question. However, he wanted to be able to justify not being neighborly to some people. In verse 29, the lawyer states,
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
It is out of this question we learn how to love our neighbor and who is our neighbor as Jesus answers this question through the parable the good Samaritan.
2. As children of God, we love our neighbors regardless of familiarity.
2. As children of God, we love our neighbors regardless of familiarity.
30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
a. We must love diversely.
a. We must love diversely.
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
Exposition: The Samaritan lovingly cares for a Jewish man. These ethnic groups would rarely interact. They Jews hated Samaritans. The fact the man is not Jewish is significant and must be recognized. None of the man’s kinsmen, the priest, Levite aided this man in need.
The New American Commentary: Luke Comments
Jesus deliberately chose an outsider, and a hated one at that, for his hero in order to indicate that being a neighbor is not a matter of nationality or race.
b. We must love diversely.
b. We must love diversely.
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
i. ethnically
i. ethnically
Jesus set the example of ethnic diversity being beautiful and God’s intention for his church.
ii. financially differing
ii. financially differing
b. We must love our opposition.
b. We must love our opposition.
Exposition: Not only were Jews and Samaritans unfriendly, oftentimes they were at odds with one another.
The New American Commentary: Luke Comments
When their offer of assistance was rejected, they sought to impede its building (Ezra 4–6; Neh 2–4).
The New American Commentary: Luke Comments
So great was Jewish and Samaritan hostility that Jesus’ opponents could think of nothing worse to say of him than, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” (John 8:48; cf. also 4:9)
1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.”
6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time.
7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah,
8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
9 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.
10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.
11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days.
12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode.
13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire.
14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass.
15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned.
16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.”
18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”
1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel.
2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.
3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired.
5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.
6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Gate of Yeshanah. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
7 And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of the governor of the province Beyond the River.
8 Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.
9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired.
10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired.
11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens.
12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate.
14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
15 And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David.
16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men.
17 After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district.
18 After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah.
19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress.
20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib.
22 After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, repaired.
23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house.
24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress and to the corner.
25 Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh
26 and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower.
27 After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.
28 Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house.
29 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired.
30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber.
31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate, and to the upper chamber of the corner.
32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.
1 Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews.
2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?”
3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”
4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives.
5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.
6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry.
8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.
9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.
10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.”
11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.”
12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.”
13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”
15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.
16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah,
17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other.
18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.
19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another.
20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”
21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out.
22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.”
23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.
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48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
Samaritans were clearly in opposition to the Jewish community. Bitterness and hatred filled the relationship yet, Jesus chose to use as the hero in his story the last person the Jews would want help from. Simultaneously, Jesus showed how fellow, powerful, influential Jews were not allies to the beaten man. We also see Jesus tell his followers in
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 5:1
Jesus is doing his best to inform the religious and his disciples that to love people is to love all people regardless of who they are and what they have done.
As children of God, we love God and out of that we love people regardless of familiarity:
Yet, how do we show love to others?
3. As children of God, we love our neighbors through compassion.
3. As children of God, we love our neighbors through compassion.
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
a. We are to have genuine sympathy for others.
a. We are to have genuine sympathy for others.
Exposition: The Samaritan connected with and identified with the man through his actions towards the injured man. It was genuine in the sense of being born out of not forced desire but real heartfelt compassion.
Bring it to today: we should have genuine connections with others around us regardless of their actions, appearance, or affiliations.
Illustration: In the climate of today’s politics, this would be the equivalent of a prominent republican or democrat being beaten and left for dead, none of their party helping them and then to have the opposition come to their aid and rescue them out of the goodness of their heart.
Application: Christian, we do not need to see people as someone to oppose. Instead, we ought to genuinely have sympathy and mercy towards these individuals because many are hurting, lost, and broken. We have the cure in Christ, if we simply would speak.
b. We are to have genuine desire to meet the needs of others.
b. We are to have genuine desire to meet the needs of others.
Exposition: If we have sympathy without actions to demonstrate that sympathy we are doing no one any good. In fact, if there is no action, there isn’t a genuine sympathy. Look at what James tells his readers:
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Exposition
James even tells us that if we are professing Christians yet do not love and meet the needs of others, we have no saving faith in us.
Bringing it today: I don’t know about you but that cuts me to the core. As I look around in communities and cities in our nation, only small pockets seem to be living out love. Christians like to talk a lot about reaching out, sharing Jesus, and want to have a growing church fellowship but when it comes time to actually do something for the kingdom few step up. We might say, I need to do x, y, z but we never put our body to the work. We rarely commit to doing the hard work necessary or we pass it off saying, “someone else will do it.”
If you have heard God call or made you aware of a need, you should expect nothing less than to be at the center of meeting that need whether it be providing food for a family, clothes for children, a ride to work, serving in a ministry in the church, or sharing Jesus with a neighbor.
As children of God, we love God and we love people,
We love them regardless of familiarity,
We love them by meeting their needs.
Yet, how do we show love to others?
But how do we meet people’s needs?
4. As children of God, we love our neighbors with sacrificial giving.
4. As children of God, we love our neighbors with sacrificial giving.
34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”
37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
a. We are to give sacrificially with our safety.
a. We are to give sacrificially with our safety.
A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Luke Exegetical and Critical
The wilderness between Jericho and Jerusalem was known as insecure
Exposition: The road between Jericho and Jerusalem was a very dangerous road. It was not uncommon to have robbers and thieves hiding in the shadows of the caves and crevices of the rocky road. To stop for any length of time would leave one vulnerable to an attack. Regardless of the dangers of the situation. The samaritan stops and helps the man.
b. We are to give sacrificially with our finances
b. We are to give sacrificially with our finances
Exposition: The samaritan is sacrificial with his own belongings and finances. Using his own bandages, oil, and wine he carefully takes care of his his wounds. He also provided the injured man with his own animal. Instead of being able to rest his own legs and enjoy his trip, he gave up the comfort of his animal to insure the man had a way to safety. Not only does he take care of him through his own belongings and transportation, he met his needs monetarily. Once arriving to the inn, the samaritan provided two days salary for the stay of the samaritan with the instruction of providing any additional costs the innkeeper would suffer as the man healed.
Bringing it to today: As a church, we should be caring for one another and meeting the needs of those who need help. There are many ministries within our church and outside our church were you can begin. An amazing way for you to start finding a place to serve is through joining and regularly attending Sunday School.
The good samaritan not only sacrificed his own safety and finances
c. We are to give sacrificially with our time.
c. We are to give sacrificially with our time.
Exposition: The text in verse 35,
35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’
The good samaritan sacrificed his own time. He could have pressed on, not suffering any delay’s but he didn’t, instead, he willingly suffered the delay to insure he cared for the man in need. How often do we pass up ministry opportunities because of our “busy schedules?” In all reality, we often forsake worshipping and fellowshipping with our fellow believers because of our business. We must not allow our busy schedules interfere with ministry and worship.
Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard. She never reached her destination, and when the blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow. But they discovered that before her death, she had taken off all her outer clothing and wrapped it about her baby. When they unwrapped the child, to their great surprise and joy, they found he was alive and well. She had mounded her body over his and given her life for her child, proving the depths of her mother love. Years later that child, David Lloyd George, grown to manhood, became prime minister of Great Britain, and, without doubt, one of England’s greatest statesman.
Conclusion:
As children of God, we love God and we love people,
We love them regardless of familiarity,
We love them by meeting their needs.
and We love them by giving sacrificially.
Transition to invitation:
I want to leave you with this story,
Years ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales, carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding blizzard. She never reached her destination, and when the blizzard had subsided her body was found by searchers beneath a mound of snow. But they discovered that before her death, she had taken off all her outer clothing and wrapped it about her baby. When they unwrapped the child, to their great surprise and joy, they found he was alive and well. She had mounded her body over his and given her life for her child, proving the depths of her mother love. Years later that child, David Lloyd George, grown to manhood, became prime minister of Great Britain, and, without doubt, one of England’s greatest statesman.