Delores Liesner
Activating Faith in everyday life
How to Be the Miracle: Love your Neighbor as Yourself!
Mark Lowry’s song Be the Miracle says: 
Be the hands of God touching the hurting with loving arms wide as the sky
Be the heart of grace pleading forgiveness with tender compassionate eyes
Where the wounded soul needs a little hope, be the miracle
That is what God is saying when he tells us to love our neighbor (anyone in our life, nearby, wherever we are, not just whomever lives next door) – as we love ourselves.
That begs the question – how do you love yourself?
Jesus illustrated with the story of the good Samaritan how a virtual stranger’s love-in-action can demonstrate what God is like.
God’s imputing His love into us is His way of allowing us to be a part of evangelizing – bringing others to the wholeness of a relationship with Jesus Christ. This does not mean God wants us to force truth about Him onto others, but that He gives us opportunity to be His invitation…to live in such a way that our actions show what God is like.
Sharing that agape love demonstrates God to our neighbor how God loved us and our neighbor enough to die for us. We may have to die to self in some ways in order to show God’s love to a neighbor. What are some practical ways we can Be the Miracle to our neighbors?
1. Pray for them as Jesus prays for us. (love your neighbor in this way – to pray for them as you pray for yourself)
Jesus continues to show His love by praying for us. Do we daily pray for our neighbors? Check out John 17 to see how Jesus prayed for us and Matthew 11:25-26, Luke 10:21, John 11:41-42, John 12:27-28, Matthew 26:36-44, Mark 14:32-39, Luke 22:46 and Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, Luke 23:34,46, for examples of how Jesus prayed for His ministry, His enemies, and for himself.
Do we daily pray for ourselves? Praying for yourself can be a gift for your neighbor. How can I encourage and pray for another to be one with God when I withhold an area of my life from God? If I do not believe it is possible (or worthwhile) for myself, why do I think I can convince another?
How can you pray for yourself today, so you can pray for (love) your neighbor as you pray for yourself ?
Be the Miracle! – with journaling pages
Delores Liesner: Author
American Christian Fiction Writers Association
Delores Liesner 