DAILY BIBLE DEVOTION

 

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?

Several years ago, I was in

Copenhagen, Denmark on a

remarkable vacation and heard a

story that gives new meaning to

the answer to this question. We

have all heard of the atrocities of

the holocaust and its tragedies, but

I had never heard the remarkable

story of this nation. There is a little

fishing village which is a suburb of

Copenhagen that opened its arms

to the Danish Jews during this

terrible time. The fishermen let it

be known that if you showed up in

the village at the appointed time

you would be evacuated to safety.

In this way, 95% of Danish Jews

escaped deportation and

execution. This in itself is enough

to show their concern for their

neighbors, but there was more.

After the war, when the people

returned home to Denmark, they

returned to their jobs, their homes,

their properties which had been

cared for and kept safe by their

Christian neighbors. It made me

consider how often I go out of my

way

may not know. It makes mne ponder

how well I live out the command to

love my neighbor as myself. Would

I have been as generous as the

Danes under those extreme

circumstances? Could I be that

generous today? Do I know my

neighbors well enough to tell when

they might be in trouble? These

are questions that I will ponder

long after the pictures are looked

at, the vacation stories have been

told, the souvenirs given away. I

hope that having the experiences I

encountered on vacation will make

me a better person, one who

doesn't pass by, or look the other

way, when a neighbor is in need.

PRAYER

Lord, I confess that I have not

always been a good neighbor to

those around me. Too often, my

priorities and preferences have

kept me from sharing Your love.

Give me eyes to see others through

Your love, so that I may be

prepared to offer help where it is

needed. In Jesus name, amen.