Well, the weekend is almost officially here...YIPPEE! We are really going to begin moving the big stuff into our new apartment, and I do not look forward to it. There will be no weekend of relaxation for the Warren family, unless you call moving heavy furniture relaxation. Didn't think so. So if you are near Commerce Street, Come on over and help us move. Just look for the sweaty people moving couches and such.
We met our neighbors last night as we were moving a few boxes into the apartment. They seemed really nice, and they were reallly close to our age. I have really been praying that God would use our new place to be a ministry, but I am not really sure how God is going to answer that, although I know he will. Maybe God was preparing me for it by allowing my neighbors to be sitting on their front porch as I was getting out of my car. Also, our landlord told me she used to go to our church when she was younger. Boy, talk about God slapping in you in the face with oppurtunities!
My point here is that we tend to see our homes sometimes as a hideaway. Don't get me wrong, I think that at times it should be, but not all the time. We should all use our homes to welcome people in and get to know them more, especially your neighbors. Sometimes we miss the fact that right outside our homes, right in our backyard there is a mission field that's ripe for the harvest. Do we know our neighbors. Better yet, have we gotten to know our neighbors. Have we really tried to show them the love of Christ, have we shared with them that hope, have we encouraged them with kind words, and by helping them in times with they've needed it, or even when they didn't.
Read Matthew 22:36-40
The second greatest command is to "Love your neighbor as yourself." Sure, Jesus meant to love everyone, but don't you think he also literally meant "Love your neighbor" too. You don't have to go across the ocean to be a missionary. Missionary fields are everywhere, so why don't we become "Backyard Missionaries" by getting to know those that you see the most. Maybe your neighbors are already Christians, but then again, for some of your neighbors, you may be the closest thing to Jesus they have ever seen. I really look forward to getting to know my new neighbors and maybe I can be the kind of neighbor God wants me to be.
Lord, help us to see oppurtunities to share wherever we go. Help us to realize that there are people in our own backyard that need you, don't let us miss them. May we share your love wherever we go and let the light you shine on us reflect onto those we come in contact with everyday. In Jesus' Name. Amen
Have a great weekend!
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Matt, I agree with you 100%. We don't often think that our neighbors need us to be missionaries to them, but very often, they do. Even if they are already christians, they may be involved in circumstances in which they need help or prayer or just someone to listen to what they have to say.
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