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THE UPPER ROOM
Daily Devotional Guide
KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS
Read Mark 12:28-34
The whole law is summed up in a single commandment,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”
- Galatians 5:14 (NRSV)
Eleven years ago we moved into a new neighborhood.
My wife and I discussed how we might reach out in love to the 25 families who live on our short road. Our first thought was, Where should we begin? We gathered the names and addresses, and then we agreed to pray for each person every day. We believe that we need to talk to God about our neighbor before we talk to our neighbor about God.
Soon we began to invite one family at a time into our home for a meal and to get to know each other. Our prayer was for each person in our community to sense God’s presence. We sent cards and notes at special times, and we remained vigilant for incidents of need or crisis. We watched for new families and took a freshly baked loaf of bread to them, welcoming them as neighbors.
Today we rejoice in the open doors God has given us and for the privilege of loving our neighbors through daily prayers. We also praise God for opportunities to serve and for the relationships we have with these people. What better way to “love our neighbors as ourselves” than to pray God’s blessing upon each of them, day by day?
Prayer:Loving God, help us to be instruments of your love to those who live around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer Focus: MY NEIGHBORS
Read Mark 12:28-34
The whole law is summed up in a single commandment,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”
- Galatians 5:14 (NRSV)
Eleven years ago we moved into a new neighborhood.
My wife and I discussed how we might reach out in love to the 25 families who live on our short road. Our first thought was, Where should we begin? We gathered the names and addresses, and then we agreed to pray for each person every day. We believe that we need to talk to God about our neighbor before we talk to our neighbor about God.
Soon we began to invite one family at a time into our home for a meal and to get to know each other. Our prayer was for each person in our community to sense God’s presence. We sent cards and notes at special times, and we remained vigilant for incidents of need or crisis. We watched for new families and took a freshly baked loaf of bread to them, welcoming them as neighbors.
Today we rejoice in the open doors God has given us and for the privilege of loving our neighbors through daily prayers. We also praise God for opportunities to serve and for the relationships we have with these people. What better way to “love our neighbors as ourselves” than to pray God’s blessing upon each of them, day by day?
Prayer:Loving God, help us to be instruments of your love to those who live around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Prayer Focus: MY NEIGHBORS
