Works Every Time

Tomorrow (Friday) is the 4th of July. Fireworks and picnics will be trending with terrific weather in the forecast. It’s hard to believe we’re headed deep into our summer months. For weeks we’ve been mowing lawns and doing landscaping. With lots of Springtime rain this year our lawns are plush and green. I’ve been mowing every week, hoping to keep up with the rain.

I have two acres out in the county and lots of trees for shade. Farmers have lots of hay rolls lined up in fields. This is one of my favorite times of year. Everything is in bloom. My neighbor and I say, hello, often while mowing grass. We share yards without a boundary line fence. We generally know where our properties lines separate us. Here’s the funny part.     

For several weeks my neighbor and I have been going the extra mile. We try to outdo the other fella. Whoever gets to mow first, goes a little wider each time, mowing into the yard of the other. It’s sort of a nice thing to do. We’re just being good neighbors. It’s nice to be nice.

Trying to out-do, out-mow the other guy; being nice, going the extra mile, whatever you want to call it—is a good thing. I love it. Actually it’s a God thing. Being neighborly used to come natural to most people. It comes right after loving God. It’s in the Bible, you know.

Remember the religious expert in Jewish law, asking Jesus, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Matthew 22:36 NLT

Remember that one? After a short pause, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind’ ” (Matthew 22:37 NLT).  Then Jesus kept going, for the fella asking questions, “A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matthew 22:39 NLT).    

In years past, I remember as a kid, it seemed most people said, they, “loved God.” Maybe they did, or didn’t. And most everyone tried at least to “like” their neighbor, even if they didn’t say they “loved them,” like Jesus taught. I’m not kidding you, the things the Bible says, works every time. Going the extra mile loving God and your neighbor is great stuff.        

This weekend at Journey Church Cynthiana, join us for part 2 of our series:  Do Something. Let’s check things out in the Bible. Maybe we can discover how—we Make our life worthy—how to Walk everywhere—doing good—telling others, God is for everyone.

Hope to see you in Journey Sat@6pm or Sun@10:30am. Let’s go the extra mile… love God and be a good neighbor!