“And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again.”
Deuteronomy 22:2 KJV
God teaches the Israelites, just brought out from hundreds of years of slavery and a slave mentality, to live peaceably in a family. Here, God’s instruction is that if a brother has gone away from his flock, to keep an eye on them and if a sheep or ox or donkey go astray, to find it and restore it. Whether a brother or neighbour, this basic instruction in community living is to be lived. Building a loving and caring community is as important as loving and serving the true and living God. Jesus clearly said, “honor your father and mother, and love those around you as you love yourself.” This is the new covenant behaviour, that we have been called to live a life of freedom and not to view this wonderful freedom as an excuse to set up a base of operations in the natural realm. Let’s constantly love each other, committed to serve one another. For all the law can be summarized in this: “Demonstrate love to your neighbor, even as you care for and love yourself.” But if you continue to criticize and come against each other over minor issues, you’re acting like wild beasts trying to destroy one another! Let the love of Christ be our motivation to love others - God is love. Amen!
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