How can we love our neighbour?

[Cristo Rei]

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35

But how exactly do we do that. What actions and gestures can we use to show love.
It seems that our actions come from 3 places
- The Holy Spirit. Love. Joy. Happiness
- The evil one. Anger. Pride. Envy
- Neutral. Such as work/business related communication

And so i wanted to make up a list of loving actions we can use with others
- Making love to your husband or wife
- Actually saying "i love you"
- Just calling up or even texting to say hi, happy b'day or xmas or something like that
- Caring for someone when they're sick
- Cooking for loved ones is an action of love
- Eating, complimenting and appreciating that food that was prepared out of love (return love)
- Kiss, hug, handshake. (Not a business handshake)
- Working for your family
- Gifts, holidays
- Helping someone in need

And i kind of get stuck...
What else is there...
How else can i show love to another person
- I guess even saying good morning can be an act of love.
- Wishing someone all the best and asking for Gods blessing
- Just being in ones company can be an act of love.

What else guys.
Help me out here please.
I want new ways to express love.
How else can we love people like Jesus told us to?

 

[APAK]

Help your physically located neighbor cut down branches off his tree going over your the side to over your roof, even when he is not home. He will understand...I know you know I did this already and the neighbor understood that he was a little slow to the punch and even helped clear up some of the debris....lol

We can help show the love we have inside by expressing it with a smile or a wave of the hand.

The other day I looked outside across the road in front of me and saw a man with a golf cart broken down. An older gent. I did hesitate a bit then as I saw him getting nowhere so I came out and assessed the situation with him. After getting a few tools out of the garage, and 10 minutes of redesigning/ reconstructing a melted off/ corroded cable end connector, got him on his way back to his home for a permanent fix.

These acts of love and charity of giving must be genuine and spontaneous from the heart else the odds of helping others are slim to none.

 

[Lambano]

The Five Love Languages:

1. Words of Affirmation
2. Acts of Service
3. Gifts
4. Quality Time
5. Physical Touch

You can probably find something appropriate in one of those five categories.

 

[Cristo Rei]

Help your physically located neighbor cut down branches off his tree going over your the side to over your roof, even when he is not home. He will understand...I know you know I did this already and the neighbor understood that he was a little slow to the punch and even helped clear up some of the debris....lol

Haha, but you didn't cut those branches to help your neighbour, did you now... You cut the branches cos they were incroching on you property... LoL

We can help show the love we have inside by expressing it with a smile or a wave of the hand.

I was thinking that. When taking a walk it's nice to do that to strangers, it reflects the love inside

The Five Love Languages:

1. Words of Affirmation
2. Acts of Service
3. Gifts
4. Quality Time
5. Physical Touch

You can probably find something appropriate in one of those five categories.

Thanks

 

[Cristo Rei]

Cos I was thinking about this a few weeks ago and could only come up with a handful of actions that come from love which disappointed me, I would expect hundreds or at least 50.

Love resonates. All emotions do. Love resonates the highest. You can see it in someone and feel it. Negative emotions like fear and hate have low resonance. The high resonance of love will always surpass the low resonance of anger.

So to it is with light. Love is bright. Hate is dark. The light will always flush out the darkness.

Sometimes I imagine God as being a super intense light that is so bright we cannot even look at it, such is the love of God

 

[MatthewG]

Love is something we do in the face of opposition, not just the normal regular love of helping others.

Love has been defined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 that may be worth taking a look as I did not see anyone mention it here.


1Co 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of messengers, and do not have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal;

1Co 13:2 and if I have prophecy, and know all the secrets, and all the knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, and do not have love, I am nothing;

1Co 13:3 and if I give away all my goods to feed others, and if I give up my body that I may be burned, and do not have love, I am profited nothing.

1Co 13:4 Love is long-suffering, it is kind, love does not envy, love does not vaunt itself, is not puffed up,

1Co 13:5 does not act unseemly, does not seek its own things, is not provoked, does not impute evil,

1Co 13:6 [does] not rejoice over unrighteousness, and rejoices with the truth;

1Co 13:7 it bears all things, it believes all, it hopes all, it endures all.

These things are very difficult to do, but the strength of Christ with-in us it is possible to do these things by Him and Him Alone in Faith, of the death, burial, and resurrection and knowing we have the Spirit of Christ/Holy Spirit living with-in us.

 

[Cristo Rei]

Love is something we do in the face of opposition, not just the normal regular love of helping others.

Love has been defined by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 that may be worth taking a look as I did not see anyone mention it here.


1Co 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of messengers, and do not have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal;

1Co 13:2 and if I have prophecy, and know all the secrets, and all the knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, and do not have love, I am nothing;

1Co 13:3 and if I give away all my goods to feed others, and if I give up my body that I may be burned, and do not have love, I am profited nothing.

1Co 13:4 Love is long-suffering, it is kind, love does not envy, love does not vaunt itself, is not puffed up,

1Co 13:5 does not act unseemly, does not seek its own things, is not provoked, does not impute evil,

1Co 13:6 [does] not rejoice over unrighteousness, and rejoices with the truth;

1Co 13:7 it bears all things, it believes all, it hopes all, it endures all.

These things are very difficult to do, but the strength of Christ with-in us it is possible to do these things by Him and Him Alone in Faith, of the death, burial, and resurrection and knowing we have the Spirit of Christ/Holy Spirit living with-in us.

Thanks but it doesn't really answer my question. I'm asking for examples of acts of love

 

[Cristo Rei]

My thought process actually started with the question "how do I love God". That's even harder to answer. I figure you love God by loving each other so I went from there. But how else do you love God? Pray?

 

[MatthewG]

Hello Cristo Rei:

By believing on the one whom God had sent, and loving others as he gave commandment.

However it still begs the questions, love in what way? In Agape founded in 1 Corinthians 13, in my understanding.

1 John 3:
18Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth. 19And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence: 20Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God, 22and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. 23And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us. 24Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.

 

[Enoch111]

I'm asking for examples of acts of love

There could be a wide range of examples since anything done for anyone with an unselfish motive to either help, heal, encourage, teach, or build up would be an act of love. Sacrificing one's own needs and comforts for the sake of someone else would be included. Even a rebuke can be an act of love since Christ said "As many as I love I rebuke and chasten".

 

[Lambano]

Have a car? Many people do not. Just taking people without transportation where they need to go can be an act of love.

Skilled with computers? Many of our elderly are baffled by modern technology. Lotsa things you can do so that they can do more themselves.

Are you able-bodied? Praise God! How about doing some yard work for those who for whatever reason cannot do so for themselves?

You mentioned food. Some folks have expressed love to me in terms of a plate of baklava, a bag of home-made cookies, or a Tupperware container of the best chicken cacciatore I've ever tasted in my life. Even full meals, when my wife was recovering from her mastectomy.

People are always hurting. "In this world, you will have tribulation." A kind word might not change their circumstances, but it can make the circumstances more bearable. Sometimes it helps to pray with them.

And there's something to be said for getting a hug when you really, REALLY need one.

 

[dev553344]

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35

But how exactly do we do that. What actions and gestures can we use to show love.
It seems that our actions come from 3 places
- The Holy Spirit. Love. Joy. Happiness
- The evil one. Anger. Pride. Envy
- Neutral. Such as work/business related communication

And so i wanted to make up a list of loving actions we can use with others
- Making love to your husband or wife
- Actually saying "i love you"
- Just calling up or even texting to say hi, happy b'day or xmas or something like that
- Caring for someone when they're sick
- Cooking for loved ones is an action of love
- Eating, complimenting and appreciating that food that was prepared out of love (return love)
- Kiss, hug, handshake. (Not a business handshake)
- Working for your family
- Gifts, holidays
- Helping someone in need

And i kind of get stuck...
What else is there...
How else can i show love to another person
- I guess even saying good morning can be an act of love.
- Wishing someone all the best and asking for Gods blessing
- Just being in ones company can be an act of love.

What else guys.
Help me out here please.
I want new ways to express love.
How else can we love people like Jesus told us to?

That is spelled out here: Matthew 25:35-40

 

[Pearl]

There are different kinds of love. Loving our neighbours doesn't mean a feeling like with family it means caring. And with Jesus we can show care even to people we don't like. Even the unlovable.

 

[Taken]

How can we love our neighbour?

Do not infringe on what is his.
Lend a hand when asked.

 

[Taken]

There are different kinds of love. Loving our neighbours doesn't mean a feeling like with family it means caring. And with Jesus we can show care even to people we don't like. Even the unlovable.

Love is feeling of immense pleasure.
Love is doing what is right, regardless of the consequences.

Hate is a feeling of strong dislike.

Can you Love and Hate one same thing at the same time? Yes.

 

[Lambano]

Love is when the happiness and well-being of the one loved is essential to that of the one who loves.

Hate is when the unhappiness and hurting of the one hated is essential to the happiness of the one who hates.

 

[Reggie Belafonte]

Even a smack in the mouth could be due to love.
Even to let one go and get into a problem could be due to love.

Now the two above could be seen as wrong, but such could be seen that way, but on a deeper understanding of such could be understood, why one would let such go ? One may learn ! from the experience ? as then they will have a handle on the issue in reality ?

Love is a word that can be bastardised so easily.
Grace is a better view point, for without Grace one is nothing as to God.
Grace is not grace, as in the carnal understanding that most think it only is.

Good ? one may ask ?well the Devil etc were created good by nature, but through themselves they became bad, in regards to the prompting of the Devil.

So one who works to keep one away from reality, as with ones child I see some only want to hide them from reality ? such live in a fantasy land ? not to mention believe in nonsense ! or may have faith in nonsense ? One needs experience in dealing with all the bate that is set so as to trap one or to ensnare others ! one must be very carful of such things or one learns the hard way and the hard way can be a real learning experience !

I learnt a real lesson once, now if one was to say, do you wish that never happened ? well yes and no ? but out of it I learnt much more than anyone I know on such a critical subject, such a insight is a blessing as I understand way beyond what their ignorance is on such subject is, they do not have a clue truly.
Not nice to go through at all, but I learnt from it. I am not ignorant on the subject but they sure the hell are. not to mention I can not tell them the reality, because they can not understand, the issue to them is coming from a shallow position, they have no depth on such, it's just fickle view or idiot view point they are coming from and regardless they do not truly listen or even been is such a position.

Maybe one should not count their chickens before they hatch, like going into something and not having a true handle on the reality, War for example, be what type of such that truly maybe ?

 

[Cristo Rei]

Sometimes I think there isn't enough love in this world. The level of empathy and compassion has dropped in our society

 

[quietthinker]

How can we love our neighbour?
don't get toooooo friendly with his wife!

 

[APAK]

How can we love our neighbour?
don't get toooooo friendly with his wife!

Such a dag and a hard case you are QT....you're right though, that kind of love is not what we are talking about here.