Treat Your Ememy Like a Friend

Love your neighbor. How do you identify your neighbor? The word for neighbor is the word that may be translated friend or countryman. This would give us the sence that your neighbor could be anyone that lived close by you or even a countryman, or may we say a citizen of your country or aquaintance as a friend, in other words it does not have to be someone who is known as a close friend may be known. The command that God gave his people was Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD. The Jews added, "and hate thy enemy." This was not a part of the original command of God. The person who lives near to you may be a neighbor, a friend, and even if he is not friendly you should not treat him as an enemy, but as a friend, that God intends that you show him God's love by the way you treat him. An example of the true neighbor and friend shown to us by one who was not a Jew but an outcast and generally lookdown on and hated by the Jew was a Samaritan. Luke 10:29-37. In this account consider what Jesus has to say about the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:36-37 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. The true neighbor, friend was a Samaritan that the Jews hated but did show the love of a friend and therefore of God to the one who was injured. Let us be a good neighbor and friend and be witnesses of God's love.