Love your neighbour

"Whoever despises his neighbour is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor."
- Proverbs 14:20

I don't think any of us here would say we despise Queenslanders or people living in third world countries, but do we love them? And if we say we love them, do we show it? Do we just "pray" that God will give them what they need to rebuild their city or to send their children to school and put food on their plates, or do we try to do something about it?

I hate the "I will pray for you" cop-out. I am not denying the mighty power of prayer, or saying that we shouldn't pray for one another, because prayer is the most powerful thing in the world, but so often we use this to make us feel like we're doing something to help. If we're "praying that John will get to know Christ" or "praying that Jane will have enough money to visit her sick parents" but not reaching out to John with the gospel or giving Jane financial aid when it's well within our capability to, then what use is it? Okay, fair enough some things are out of our control. Maybe I don't have access to a helicopter to fly out to Queensland to help with the rescue efforts. But I have money. I can give dinner to a family who has lost their house and is now living at an evacuation centre. I can pay for medical supplies for a boy who's been physically hurt in the floods. I mean, in praying and not doing anything else.. that's like saying, "Oh God, help these people. But not through me.. use someone else. I NEED this new Xbox game and that new pair of jeans and.. oh, that new CD. And I have to buy dinner after church this weekend, and I have to look good when the offering bag comes around on Sunday so really, my funds are all tied up at the moment." I mean, have you ever thought that maybe you're an answer to prayer?

God has blessed us with so many things; He has met our material needs AND MORE. If God has blessed you with a job, or with generous parents, He has made you a steward of His money. It's all too easy to forget that this is God's money, not mine.

It's pretty simple: do you love your neighbour? Because if you don't love them, then you despise them. If you don't love them, you hate them.

"Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to You, as You did not do it to one of the least of these, You did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
- Matthew 25:41-46

Please give generously to the victims of the Queensland floods. Don't turn Jesus away when He's lost His entire livelihood. Don't turn Him away when He's hungry and got no food. Don't turn Him away when He's sick and in need.