PODCAST
Do No Harm
May 12th, 2021
Romans 13:8-14
Most of us would never seek to harm our neighbors. Harm, however, comes in more forms than just physical violence or hateful words. There is a popular phrase that says, “Fences make good neighbors.” We tend to like our personal space, our boundaries, and we like to know who and what we must worry about.
This is not the way of Jesus.
Jesus didn’t let fences or boundaries keep Him from people. Whether foreigners, sinners, or the ritually unclean, Jesus saw their exclusion as harmful. And “love does no harm to a neighbor.” Love moves us towards others, not away from them. Love compels us to look not just at our own needs, but to the needs of our neighbors. Love means we cannot ignore when others are suffering, because not addressing their pain is in fact harmful.
Doing no harm is not passive. It is active, seeking the good of our neighbors. This is the way of Jesus.
Pay attention to the people around you. How can you move toward them? How can you embody love for them?
Author: Chris Gilmore
