Again, in the ultimate sense, in the eternal sense, what is it to love our neighbor? Of course, we should try and help in daily, ordinary, practical ways. But, is that sufficient if we are really loving them? The answer is an emphatic, “No.” When speaking of Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25, J.I. Packer says:
“For what Christ has given us to use must be put to use; it is not enough simply to hide it away. We may apply this to our stewardship of the gospel. The truth about salvation has been made known to us, not for us simply to preserve (though we must certainly do that), but also, and primarily, for us to spread. The light is not meant to be hidden under the bushel. It is meant to shine; and it is our business to see that it shines. “You are the light of the world,” says our Lord. He who does not devote himself to evangelism in every way that he can is not, therefore, playing the part of a good and faithful servant of Jesus Christ.”
Therefore, may I plead with you, dear child of God? Just stop and think for a moment. The day is coming soon when you and I will be standing before our glorious Lord and Savior. Think! What was His mission on earth? It was “ . . . to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19).” What is His mission now? Hint: it hasn’t changed one iota! For what does His heart beat? For the lost to come to salvation. Therefore, to love Him and to love those He died for, we must go and tell them what they need for salvation! So…let’s go! Let’s love our neighbor in the eternal sense!