Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. ~Proverbs 3:29
What you have seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another person’s confidences, or the one who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation. ~Proverbs 25:8-10
Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet. ~Proverbs 29:5
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” ~Matthew 5:24-25
Again today, Solomon offers more advice about how to live in harmony with others, especially our neighbors. We talked yesterday about the way we live before our neighbors as an extension of our faith. Yesterday, the concern was more about making sure that we aren’t obnoxious. Today, the proverb deals with what we actually say to and about those who live around us.
Be careful not to gossip or misrepresent. Be careful not to slander. Try hard to work toward peace, instead of declaring your rights and creating higher walls than the one we hope to put up for a dog. (Yes, we’d like to have a dog again one day. We just need a regular fence around the yard, not high walls to keep out the neighbors.)
Remember, if you claim to be a Christian, you have a reputation to protect, His! Sometimes God places us alongside difficult people. Remember, He isn’t surprised by that circumstance. True, that person may be difficult, but what if God believes that you are the one person that can make a difference? As we have said so many times before, God loves your difficult neighbor as much as He loves you. He has His reasoning for why He has put the two of you in proximity. It could be to encourage you to become more like Him. It could be that you are the one who can say the gospel in such a way that you can win him or her to Christ.
Admittedly, we don’t put a lot of thought into discerning where we can have the most effective ministry when we are house hunting. I have to plead guilty here as well. When we were looking for a place to live this last year, we focused way more on the number of bedrooms, size of yard, garage. Kathy was always interested in whether there was a dish washer.
Interestingly, even though we rarely asked, our realtor could always make a comment on the character of the neighborhood. We also rarely asked God where could we make the biggest difference. Yet, here we are, in a different place than we were expecting, trusting that God put us here for a good reason. But our mission would be the same no matter where we ended up. We are to protect Jesus’ reputation. Live in harmony as best we can with all those God has placed around us.
We are to be welcoming and hospitable to all those around us and live in such a way that when we are given the opportunity to speak of Christ, it is a welcome blessing not an annoying curse. If we choose to gossip or live selfishly, our neighbors will notice. We are always on display, inside the church and in our neighborhood.
If you reflect on how you have lived with your neighbors and there is anything you need to apologize for, do it. I can guarantee you that will be noticed and, in doing so, you just may be preaching the best gospel you ever could.
Prayer: Lord, God, open the doors of opportunity for me to love my neighbors and share the gospel. Open their hearts to receive Your Word in faith. Open my mouth. Make me bold to speak the Truth in Love, for their sake. In Jesus' name, amen.
Song: Instruments of Your Peace
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