Loving your neighbours well 

One of the most well-known commandments in Scripture is to love our neighbours as ourselves. Jesus made it clear that this is at the very heart of what it means to live a life that honours God. Yet, if we’re honest, loving our neighbours well can sometimes feel like a challenge. It’s easy to love those who are kind to us, those who think like us, and those who live in ways we understand. But Jesus didn’t limit his command to just the people we like—he extended it to everyone, including those who might irritate us, disagree with us, or even oppose us.

Loving our neighbours well is not just about warm feelings; it is a call to action. It requires us to step beyond convenience and comfort, beyond our routines and prejudices, and to see others through the eyes of Christ. When Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbour?” he responded with the story of the Good Samaritan. This parable was shocking to its original audience because the Samaritan was the last person they would have expected to be the hero of the story. Yet Jesus intentionally chose a Samaritan—someone from a group despised by the Jews—to illustrate what love in action looks like. The Samaritan didn’t just feel compassion; he interrupted his journey, took risks, invested time, and spent money to care for a wounded stranger. Love is not passive. It moves, it acts, and it sacrifices.

True love for our neighbours challenges our natural inclinations. We live in a world that is increasingly individualistic, where looking out for ourselves is the norm. But Christ calls us to a different standard. Loving our neighbours well means taking an interest in them, knowing their names, understanding their struggles, and being present in their lives. It means listening when we would rather talk, forgiving when we would rather hold a grudge, and serving when we would rather be served. Love is not merely a theoretical concept; it is practical, real, and costly.

Jesus set the ultimate example of what it means to love others. He dined with sinners, touched the untouchable, and extended grace to those whom society had written off. He saw beyond people’s past mistakes and present struggles to their God-given worth. If we are to love our neighbours well, we must do the same. It means looking beyond external appearances, cultural differences, and personal biases and instead seeing people as God sees them—precious, valuable and loved.

One of the greatest barriers to loving our neighbours is fear—fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of being inconvenienced. But the Bible reminds us that “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). When we love as Christ loves, we are freed from fear and empowered to step into people’s lives with boldness and compassion. It means standing up for the voiceless, helping those in need, and offering hope to the hopeless.

In our modern world, we are more connected than ever before, yet many people feel deeply isolated and lonely. Loving our neighbours well means being intentional about building relationships. It’s about noticing the elderly person who lives alone, the single parent who is exhausted, and the newcomer who feels out of place and making an effort to show kindness. A simple conversation, a shared meal, or an offer of help can make all the difference.

Loving our neighbours also means being willing to share the greatest love of all—the love of Christ. We live in a culture that often views faith as a private matter, but Jesus never intended for his followers to keep the gospel to themselves. We are called to be light in the darkness, to share the good news, not in a forceful or arrogant way, but with gentleness and sincerity. Love opens doors. When people see that we genuinely care for them, they are far more likely to be open to hearing about the God who loves them even more than we do.

There will be times when loving our neighbours is difficult. People may be ungrateful, relationships may be messy, and our efforts may go unnoticed. But we are not called to love only when it is easy or when we see immediate results. We love because Christ first loved us. We love because love is at the very heart of God’s kingdom.

Loving our neighbours well is one of the most powerful ways we can reflect Christ to the world. It transforms communities, heals wounds, and brings hope to the broken. And in the end, it is not about us—it is about revealing the love of Jesus in a world that so desperately needs it. So let us love not just in words but in actions. Let us be people who go the extra mile, who extend grace freely, and who love as Christ has loved us. Because when we do, we are not just obeying a command—we are participating in God’s great mission to redeem and restore the world.