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Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.
(John 4:14) |
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And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev 22:1) |
For His Glory!
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Who is my Neighbor? And the Sugar Cookies Neighbor Hebrew - a resident; by extension a fellow citizen: - inhabitant neighbor nigh. Greek - (near); close by; a neighbor (as countryman, Christian or friend). Webster (1828): NEIGHBOR, n. 1. One who lives near another… 4. A fellow being. Acts 7. 5. One of the human race; any one that needs our help, or to whom we have an opportunity of doing good. **** From Scripture: Plundering Egypt Exodus 3:22 "But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing… So you shall plunder the Egyptians."Passover Exodus 12:4 'And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons…In the Commandments ‘The Covenant’ Exodus 20:16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; …neighbor's wife, …male servant, …female servant, …his ox, …his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."
So, who is my neighbor? Luke 10:25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"Luke 10:27 And he answered and said, "You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself." 28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live." 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"Luke 10:30 Jesus replied and said, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead… [then follows the parable about the priest, the Levite and a Samaritan …]Luke 10:36 "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" 37 And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."Sundry Torah instruction Exodus 22:14 "And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor…Exodus 22:26 "If you ever take your neighbor's garment as a pledge…Lev 6:2 "If a person sins … against the LORD by lying to his neighbor …Lev 19:13 'You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him…Lev 19:15 ' … In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.Lev 24:19 'If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor…Lev 19:18 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.Your right as a Neighbor Deut 23:24 "When you come into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. 25 When you come into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor's standing grain.Curses Deut 27:17 'Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor's landmark.' …Deut 27:24 'Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly.' …Judgement Ps 101:5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy…1Kgs 8:31 " When anyone sins against his neighbor…32 then hear Thou in heaven and act and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head …Jeremiah 34:17 "Therefore thus says the LORD: 'You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming liberty, everyone to his brother and every one to his neighbor. Behold, I proclaim liberty to you,' says the LORD -- 'to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine! And I will deliver you to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth.Reward Ps 15:1 O Lord, who may abide in Thy tent? Who may dwell on Thy holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor….A Few Proverbs Prov 3:28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you.Prov 3:29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor…Prov 11:12 He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor…Prov 14:21 He who despises his neighbor sins…Prov 24:28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause…Prov 25:17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house, Lest he become weary of you …Warning Jer 22:13 " Woe to him … Who uses his neighbor's service without wages And gives him nothing for his work…Lev 19:17 'You shall not hate your brother in your heart. [Yet] You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.All Summed Up Rom 13:9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."Like a good Neighbor (In the Kingdom of God) Zech 3:10 In that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'Everyone will invite his neighbor Under his vine and under his fig tree.' "Zech 8:16 These are the things you shall do: Speak each man the truth to his neighbor…Zech 8:17 Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor…Jer 9:4 "Everyone take heed to his neighbor…Luke 15:6 "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'Rom 15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.Jas 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well…Isa 41:6 Everyone helped his neighbor, And said to his brother, "Be of good courage!"**** Neighborly Acts in Reverse The Sugar Cookies One warm sunshiny day a few weeks ago - during the COVID 19 lockdown - I was working on my Zero-turn mower. Dirty and greasy I looked out my shop door to see a woman with three little girls walking up our long driveway, with a package of some kind in her hand (probably Girl Scout Cookies). We live in a rural setting so this was indeed a surprise - I motioned for her to continue up the driveway to the house where my wife was - she would deal with any good gesture. She shook her head and came up and handed me a baggie with cookies and said, "We are new neighbors that live in the rental house about a quarter of a mile away and wanted to wish you safety and a good day. Then I notice she had an infant wrapped in one of those things they hang around their neck - somewhat speechless I said, "Thank You" as she turned and walked away. Looking down at my greasy gloved hand was a 3x5 card tapped to the bag - handwritten was "Sugar Cookies for our neighbor" with the recipe and another side note "Hope you are all staying healthy and safe!" Num 11:7 LXXE And the manna is as coriander seed, and the appearance of it the appearance of hoar-frost. 8 And the people went through the field, and gathered, and ground it in the mill, or pounded it in a mortar, and baked it in a pan, and made cakes of it; and the sweetness of it was as the taste of wafer made with oil.The Tree That same week I decided a huge Cottonwood tree (120-foot-high and getting hollow inside) had to come down. Leaning toward my barn it was a real threat. My neighbor’s business, North of me, had just the equipment to do the job. Talking to him he was happy to loan it to me. After the tree was downed I returned the equipment and attempted to pay for its use - "No" he said, "consider it a neighborly thing". The Menards clerk During the tree cutting incident I need to buy some supplies from the local DIY store. Being the COVID pandemic they require face mask - not until I drove into their parking lot did, I realize I forgot my mask. Once inside, security stopped me and pointed to the return-merchandize counter to purchase a mask. With money and/or credit card in hand the clerk could not change a twenty-dollar bill and having no means of selling one using a credit card. What to do - I turned to leave, and she said "Wait" handing me the mask she took $1.00 from her own pocket and waved me on. That was not all that happened in that week, but you get the point - Within less than a week I now had the material and inspiration to write about "What it means to be a good Neighbor". It happened to me! Lev 19:18 '… but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. |
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Proverbs contains many comments about our Neighbor A Few Are: First and foremost Proverbs 3:28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you.Proverbs 3:29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he dwells by you for safety's sake.Proverbs 11:9 The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor…Proverbs 11:12 He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor…Proverbs 14:21 He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.Proverbs 16:29 A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good.Proverbs 18:17 The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him.Proverbs 25:9 Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not disclose the secret to another;Proverbs 25:17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house, lest he become weary of you and hate you.Proverbs 25:18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor Is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.Proverbs 26:19 Is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, "I was only joking!" |
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"To account nothing of one’s self, and to think always kindly and highly of others, this is great and perfect wisdom. Even should thou see thy neighbor sin openly or grievously, yet thou oughts’ not to reckon thyself better than he, for thou know not how long thou shalt keep thine integrity. All of us are weak and frail; hold thou no man frailer than thyself."
"Nothing strengthens the judgement and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility" - Elizabeth Cady Stanton |
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Sign of the times … THE JOB - URINE TEST |
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Love Your Neighbor God’s word tells us to give to the poor. It also tells us not to be a surety for our neighbor. In modern terms this means that you should not co-sign a loan for someone else, even if that person is poor, or has a bad credit rating. The Almighty God created each person to have their own sense of responsibility. Even if we think we are helping someone else by helping them get a loan, we are assuming a burden we were not created for and distorting the poor’s own sense of responsibility. This is a general principle that applies to more than loans. Look for ways to encourage others to take responsibility for themselves rather than taking their responsibilities upon yourself. (Adopted from a blog post by Dale Cresap) |
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Neighbor Judgement warning Psalm 101:5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.Psalm 28:3 Do not take me away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, Who speak peace to their neighbors, But evil is in their hearts.Who may dwell in the tent (Kingdom) of God? Psalm 15:1 O Lord, who may abide in Thy tent? Who may dwell on Thy holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt, and does not change; 5 He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…) |