be careful of the exclusivity of keyboard communities

i read a solid article concerning the rise in social networking at the expense of being neighborly in the real world. you may read it here. very thought provoking.

do you know who your neighbors are? here is a very telling report from the Pew Research Center about how americans are losing their ability to be a good neighbor. but moving beyond the data to the church, Christians have a command concerning this very idea. eight times in scripture we are commanded to love our neighbor.


LEVITICUS 19:18 NKJ
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.

MATTHEW 19:19 NKJ
19 `Honor your father and your mother,' and, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "

MATTHEW 22:39 NKJ
39 "And the second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

MARK 12:31 NKJ
31 "And the second, like it, is this: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

LUKE 10:27 NKJ
27 So he answered and said, " `You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and `your neighbor as yourself.' "

ROMANS 13:9 NKJ
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."

GALATIANS 5:14 NKJ
14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

JAMES 2:8 NKJ
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;

if you have any question as to who your neighbor is, luke 10:29 (the story of the good samaritan) helps to answer this for all of us - a neighbor is someone who is nearby no matter where we are. in other words, everyone is our neighbor.

as representatives of God upon this earth we should strive to be the best neighbor we can be. here are some verses that challenge just so:


PHILIPPIANS 2:4 NKJ
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

MATTHEW 7:12 NKJ
12 "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

ROMANS 13:10 NKJ
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

ROMANS 15:2 NKJ
2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.

HEBREWS 13:1-2 NKJ
1 Let brotherly love continue.
2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

i challenge you today to get to know your neighbors, your coworkers - whoever you come across - for the glory of God.