WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

In the book of Luke the Lord tells: “The Parable of the Good Samaritan”

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

What is written in the Law?” he replied. “ How do you read it?”

He answered:“ 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, Love your neighbor as yourself.’

“ You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “ Do this and you will live.” (Meaning you will inherit eternal life if you love God and love your neighbor)

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “ And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said: “ A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest (One who suppose to be a man of God) happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. (The Levites are ordained for the priesthood and to serve in the temple of God)

But a Samaritan (The Jewish people did not associate with the Samaritians ... They did not get along with one another), as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘ Look after him.’ He said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” (Mercy is when you see someone needs help, and you help him or her)

Jesus told him,” Go and do likewise.” (Luke10:25-37)


If we are prejudice or racist against a people or nation, we are sinning against Our God. We are willingly breaking the command “ Love your neighbor as yourself”. One designer created all the peoples of the earth and His name is the Lord.

The Bible says:

For by him (Jesus Christ) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. (Colossians 1:16)

In the book of Genesis says:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. (Genesis 1:27-28)

We all came from one source, Adam and Eve. We are all connected, we are all brothers and sisters, and we all have one Creator. As believers we should not let other people, the media, or your co-workers lead us into a path of destruction. Disobedience to Our God will bring a curse upon us. We are not supposed to be people pleaser but God pleasers.

“Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. (Acts 4:19) If we love all people, like the Lords commands regardless of their ethnic background, then we will be placed in the side of the sheep. (Matthew 25:34-40) but if we do not love all people like the Lord commands then we will be placed in the side of the goats. (Matthew 25: 41-46) Which side would you like to be placed on? If your answer is in the side of the sheep, then "WE MUST OBEY THE LORD"! “ LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF”

If you are prejudice or racist against people who are not of your race…Well let me tell you something heaven is not for you. In the Kingdom of God there are Chinese, African Americans, Hispanics, Caucasian, and many other races. (Revelation 7:9-10) If we can’t get along or love one another here on earth, what makes us think we will be any better in heaven? When we disobey the Lords commands, we are not acting like children of God but of the devil’s. Let me show you where God says this…

1 John 3:7-10

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

1 John 4:20

If anyone says, “ I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.


Recently, in the media, we have seen attention being drawn the subject of illegal aliens in our country. This recent problem has caused racism against many that are of Latino decent, whether they are illegal or not. I myself, as a Puerto Rican, have experience this first hand. Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. Because of this, people born on the island of Puerto Rico are born citizens. Many times ignorant people will discriminate against Puerto Ricans or other Latin American groups that are citizens and/ or born in the U.S. because of the media or other people’s influence. These “Ilegals” as the media and people call them; these are our brothers and sisters. We are all God’s children.

As I started writing this blog, I witnessed another disturbing news on CNN. A policeman arresting a 15 yr old, who happened to be African American girl that broke a curfew law? She bit the officer, but I question does that justify the action he took, by punching her in the face and then pepper spraying her in the face also. He is a grown man and she is the child. I believe he could have handle this differently. Check this out on the web at www.MSNBC.Video.com Judge for yourself, if his action was right in dealing with this 15yr old teenager.

My friends, the Lord does not want his children divided. What parent, likes to see their children, not getting along and not loving each other? This behavior between siblings is heart breaking for parents to go through. The Lord wants his children united and loving one another. If this is something you been feeling against your brothers and sisters, ask God for forgiveness, to take away prejudice and racism from your heart and fill your heart with a sincere and genuine love for all your brothers and sisters around the world.

Who is my neighbor is the title of this blog and the answer is every human being living on this earth is our neighbor. And we must obey the Lord’s command to “ Love your neighbor as yourself”


The Lord says in John 15:12, My command is this: "LOVE each other as I have loved you."



GOD BLESS YOU ALL NOW AND ALWAYS,
YOUR FRIEND,
VICKY RIVERA

THE COMMISSION

THE COMMISSION


Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Note: GOD at times will ask us to do something for Him and there are times, we don’t do it or get it right the first time around, but don’t get discouraged. We may fall down… But that does not mean we have to stay down. Get up in Jesus name and start again!

Peter denied his Lord. (Matthew 26:69-75) When, he had said, “Even if I have to die with you. I will never disown you.” (Matthew 26:35) Could you imagine how he must have felt? When he did the very thing he swore he would NOT do… Could you imagine the disappointment he must have felt in himself? Peter must have thought he was not the right man for the job, since he just had denied his Lord. (Matthew 26:34, 26:75, Mark 14:30, 14:72, Luke 22:34, 22:61)

The Lord told Peter …” And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will built my church…(Matthew 16:18) What God says, you will be and what you will do, will come to pass. (The Lord has done what he planned; he has fulfilled his word, which he decreed long ago.)- Lamentations 2:17.

Peter must have thought, after denying Jesus... I'm not cut out for this... So he went back to his old occupation (He was a Fisherman) until Jesus came and reminded him of his calling... What Peter was truly meant to do in this world! (Matthew 16:18, John 21:2-17)

Jesus asks Peter this: "Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” (Meaning do you love this job/occupation more than me?) “Yes Lord,” he said, you know that I love you. “Jesus said, “Feed my lambs. ”Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. ”Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep. ”The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)

Note: I’m so glad that the Lord came to get Peter back on track and to remind him of what he was called to do (To start His Church). Peter got back on track and in the book of Acts we see him in action… Full of confidence and ready to save souls for the Kingdom of God. (Acts 2:14-41) Three thousand people got saved because of his obedience to the Lord. WOW!

We have all had some road blocks in our lives and those road blocks can sometimes cause us to think and question… Maybe this is not what I’m supposed to be doing. Did I hear God correctly?

My friends, a mistake, oppositions, does not mean God didn’t call you and it definitely does not mean that we just stop and give up! The Lord says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." GOD is always with us… Why are you discouraged then? (Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:18-20)

The Apostles were given a task by the Lord Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations, to baptize, and to teach people to obey everything that He taught them. (Matthew 28:20) Going through the New Testament, we can see they did just that. Nothing was going to stop these men from carrying out the Lords commands. Not prison, beatings, death, or exile. What a wonderful thing that is … When the Lord can count on us to do His will. Obedience to the Lord Jesus blesses you and others too.

Nothing was going to stop these mighty men of God from making disciples of all men and teaching the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Later in the book of Acts, the high priest and his associates gave orders to the apostles not to teach in the name of Jesus. I love Peter’s and the other apostle’s response. “We must obey God rather then men! (Acts 5:29) "When they would not obey the teachers of the law, they were beaten and released. They (The Apostles) left rejoicing because they believed they suffer disgrace for the Name (Jesus Name).- Acts 5:40-41. I am sure they were holding on to God’s promise when they endured the beatings. (“Blesses are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”)- Matthew 5:10

Nothing was going to stop them. They knew the Lord Jesus was depending on them to deliver the gospel to a dying and hurting world, it was very important for them to deliver the message. God needed them to tell people...

TELL PEOPLE WHAT?

To tell them this: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18)

The Bible says:

“For the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10)

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Note: Friends the message is still urgent, the Lord Jesus is still extending His invitation to everyone who would believe in Him. Salvation is "FREE". Don’t let Him pass you by… Don't delay... Jesus is returning very soon!

Thank the Lord Almighty that the Apostles obeyed the call. Their obedience to the Lord has saved millions of souls around the world and many more are still coming to the Kingdom of God each day. This gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ has been translated into different languages. PRAISE THE LORD!

The Lord Jesus said: And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. (Mark 13:10) I believe we are living in the last days. He (Jesus Christ) is coming soon. Live your life like the Lord commands, obey Him and most important tell others about the Savior of man’s souls… Jesus Christ.

Once we become believers we have to continue what the Apostles started. We also have the commission to deliver the gospel of our Lord to a world that needs Him desperately. Jesus is coming soon. Don’t let anything distract you or derailed you from the commission. Jesus is depending on all of us... Tell someone today that Jesus loves them and that HE is the "ONLY" way to Heaven. (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:9-11, 13, 1 John 5:12)


Jesus Says: "HE WHO TESTIFIES TO THESE THINGS SAYS, “ YES, I AM COMING SOON”. AMEN. COME, LORD JESUS. THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS BE WITH GOD’S PEOPLE. AMEN. (Revelation 22:20-21) Amen!


GOD BLESS YOU ALL NOW AND ALWAYS
YOUR FRIEND,
VICKY RIVERA

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR HIM LATELY?

                 WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR HIM LATELY?


“I tell you the truth,” he (Jesus) said, “this poor widow has put in more than ALL the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; BUT she out of her poverty PUT in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:3-4)-NIV


God has taught his children to always share with those who don’t have… “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? (James 2:15-16) When we give/share with those who are in need we will be fulfilling the commandment that the Lord gave to us… “Love one another” (John 13:34) Giving to the poor is like we are giving to God himself.

Note: Before the Israelites left Egypt they were instructed to have the Passover meal. The doctrine of sharing is given in this passage:

“If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are.” (Exodus 12:4)

In the book of Deuteronomy 15:7-11 it says:

“If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.”

“Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. GIVE generously to him and DO so WITHOUT a grudging heart; (Obedience to our God will ALWAYS bring BLESSINGS!! Watch this next verse…) “THEN because of this the Lord your God WILL bless you in ALL your work and in EVERYTHING you put your hand to. (You Obey…  And GOD will bless)

“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.”

Note: Every human being on this planet has been created in the image of God… “Let us make man in our image…” (Genesis 1:26) We may have a different tents/ a different look on the outside but we are all made in the likeness of our Creator in the inside.

 

When we see a homeless person on the street, a fellow brother or sister in need, a child without a father or mother, a widow, or anyone in need of help, we can’t just past them by without any compassion. You may think to yourself, its somebody else’s problem, it’s not my responsibility. WRONG, WRONG! How can we say …I am a Christian?  How can we say I love God?  If we see the men and women created after God’s own image in need of food and clothing and WE DO NOTHING!  Where is the Christ in us?

The commandment is “To love your neighbor as yourself”.  If we really understood the word of God and what really pleases Him… Then we would understand, that when you give and help people who are in need, it is like you are giving to the Lord Jesus Himself. You would see the God that created you and me in them. Let’s show those in need what real love feels like… Let’s show them that the faith we have is not a blind faith, but a genuine one that’s ready to be put INTO action. The Bible says “God is love”… “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:16, 21)


In the book of Mark 12:28-31 the Lord was asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The MOST important one” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is NO commandment GREATER than these.”

In the book of 1 King 17:10-16 Elijah was send to a widow in Zarephath … In this story you will see the faithfulness of God to those who take Him at His word…

“So he (Elijah the prophet) went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink? As she was going to get it, he called, and bring me, please, a piece of bread. As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread – only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son that we may eat it – and die.”

“Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. (Watch this…something has to be done FIRST, in the part of this widow…) But first make a small cake of bread for me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.  She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. (The word of the Lord fulfilled in this next verse… Don’t miss it!!) “FOR” the JAR of flour was NOT used up and the JUG of oil DID NOT run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.”

Note: This widow obeyed the word of the Lord spoken through the prophet Elijah and that obedience brought her and her family great blessings… The jar of flour was NOT used up and the jug of oil DID NOT run dry… Hallelujah!! The Lord is FAITHFUL but we MUST learn to trust, believe and obey Him FIRST, just like this widow did.

Let me give you another biblical example… In the book of Job, we read that God is very proud of his servant Job and He asked Satan if he had notice how faithful Job was to GOD...

“Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 1:8)

Note: In chapter 31:1-40 you will read:  Why God is so proud of Job. Job is telling his friends of the kind of life that he lived … Walking in the fear of the Lord and taking care of the poor and their needs. Job understood that the same God that created him also created the rest of mankind and he knew that not taking care of the poor would be a sin against God. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

Let me give you some of these verses in this chapter… (Chapter 31, verses 16-23)

Job says this…“IF I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, IF I have KEPT my bread to myself NOT sharing it with the fatherless – but from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my birth I guided the widow- “ IF I have seen ANYONE perishing for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a garment, and his heart did not bless me for warming him with the fleece from my sheep, IF I raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in the court, then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. (Watch what this servant of GOD says, Don’t Miss It!!!) FOR I dreaded DESTRUCTION from GOD, and FOR fear of HIS splendor I could NOT do such things. ”

Note: The Bible says that Job was a very wealthy man and that God blessed everything he had. Why is this? Because Job loved God, he shuns evil and Job did not keep his blessings from God to himself … He shared it with those who had needs. God could count on Job to take care of the poor people in the land.

In the near future the Lord will separate groups of people to two sides: The Right side will be for the sheep (the righteous) and the Left side will be for the goats (the wicked). And these are the things that the Lord will say to each group…

“Then the King will say to those on his right (The righteous, those who did the Fathers will…), ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

(Watch This… Don’t Miss It!!!)… “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left (The wicked, Those who did not do the Fathers will), Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
(Watch This… Don’t Miss It!!!) “ He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever YOU did not do for one of the least of these, you DID NOT do FOR me.’ THEN they will GO away to eternal punishment, BUT the righteous to ETERNAL life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Note: I believe we will see the widow of Zarephath, Elijah, Job, the disciples and many others standing on the right side along with all those that through out the Holy Scriptures have grasped the meaning of the command of the Lord… “Love your neighbor as yourself ”

Question: Which group of people do you want to be placed into? If you choose to be on the right with the sheep, you have to obey the Lord in taking care of the poor and following the Lord’s commands wholeheartedly. Only then will you be standing with the righteous… Standing right next to the widow of Zarephath, Job, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the many others through out our history that have obeyed and followed the Lord and did not deviate from God’s commands.

The title of this teaching is: “What have you done for Him (Jesus) lately?”  My prayer and hope is that we all choose to be faithful to the Lord in taking care of the poor and their needs. By carrying out our Lord’s commands… We will be blessed in this life and the next one to come! The Lord has given us this promise if we obey Him … “THEN because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. (Deuteronomy 15:10) Remember this… “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19) God will always keep His word but we have to trust, believe and obey Him in ALL things, FIRST.

James 2:17 says: “…FAITH by itself, if it NOT accompanied by ACTION, is DEAD.”

Note: Some may feel they don’t have anything to give. We have to follow and learn from the examples of the widow of Luke 21:3-4 and the widow that fed the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 17:7-16. God will show us what we can give… We just need to keep our eyes and ears open for the many opportunities that we can bless our fellow man with.

This is not biblical, but I want to mention it as an example that we all have something to give. You may all remember the Christmas song “The Drummer Boy”, he didn’t have expensive gifs to give to the new born King but he gave what he did have, his drums. All he could offer was his gift of music, and so he played his music for the new born King.

The economy in these troubling times has left many of us with a heavy financial burden, but money is not the only thing we have to offer. You may have canned goods that you can donate to the shelters, or clothes that you haven’t worn in a long time that you could give to someone else who desperately needs them. Some can give their time in helping adults and children in illiteracy programs, volunteer at a shelter, or be a big brother or sister and mentor the young, etc. We all have something that we can give/share with those that are in need and in this way we will be fulfilling the command of the Lord… “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31)


GOD BLESS YOU ALL NOW AND ALWAYS
YOUR FRIEND,
VICKY RIVERA