Be a Good Neighbor

God said in the Bible, “Walk in the ways of the Lord, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements . . . that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go” (1 Kings 2:3). These were words that King David spoke to his son Solomon. He reminded him that a life of blessing requires that one take the word of the Lord seriously. Solomon later in his life, despite all his wisdom, turned away from the Lord and his ways. As a result, the Kingdom was split in two and his son did not follow the ways of God either. This lead the whole nation into sin. When a nation turns away from God, it is not long until that nation falls into disarray and chaos. If we want a strong community and a strong nation, people need to put God first, others second, and themselves last. When we focus on the well-being of others, our lives prosper and wherever we go things work out for our good. The good life leads to a good life for us! If we want God’s blessing, we need to become a channel of God’s grace to others. Help your neighbor and build your community, and you will live in a good community. Make your place of work a place of sharing and caring, and you will have the right job and great co-workers. If you want the good life, you need to be good to others.
We create our own environment by our own actions. If we are angry and hateful toward others, then our lives will have many angry and hateful people in it. Bless others and the blessing will be on us as well. Help someone; and someone will help us. We need to take the responsibility for making our world a better place for others, and it will be a better place for ourselves. No sacrifice is wasted; every person who makes the effort to build up their family and neighbors will reap the benefits of their labor. Fear and bitterness only destroys relationships, so be brave and do good to others. We usually know what needs to be done! We just need the courage to follow through with it. Trust God and take the step of faith. Change how we act today. Have the courage to stand up for what you believe. Be the neighbor you wish you had next door. God said, “I know the plans I have for you, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). What will make heaven such a great place? Everyone will be making it a heavenly place to live! Even God is busy making it the best place in the universe to live. He is preparing a new eternal home for us right now.