1 Thessalonians 5:15 (MSG)
13-15 Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.

The holidays. Ahhh, family. Lots of family. Enough family that not even 5 bedrooms and an extra air mattress gave us all enough space…. Strong personalities. Trump. Smartphone addiction. Big blended family. Tons of food. Love. Chaos. A home.

The alternative. Phone calls. Group texts. Maybe some social media posts. A house. Empty.

Families bring out the best and worst of us. We love, we support, we fight, we agree/disagree. We feel safe. We explore. We love most of all.

So, a question that’s been asked many times before – who’s your neighbor? Who’s your family? Our world is no different than our family. It’s crowded, it’s filled with strong personalities, phone calls, group texts, social media, etc.

Question – do we treat the rest of the world like we treat our family?

Luke 10:36-37 (NLT)
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

We of the West presume human nature to be good because Christ’s teachings are infused in our culture. It aint that way and we don’t have to look too far past our locked front door to see that. His teachings are the way forward and I pray that we all follow all of those teachings closely.

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” ― C.S. Lewis

1 Corinthians 1:9 Berean Study Bible
God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.