For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal. 5:14)
Ghaffar had been meeting regularly with Tom on his lunch break, learning about what it meant to follow Jesus as a new Christian in a Muslim society. Part of Tom’s teaching included putting the words of Scripture into simple songs. One of those which Ghaffar found himself singing as he worked in his carpentry shop was a song that emphasized the central commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
This teaching was brought home to Ghaffar on a visit home to his family in their village. Ghaffar looked for ways to quietly share his faith with his family members and community. On one occasion, his uncle Yusuf had gotten into an ugly dispute with the family living next door. Things had culminated with Yusuf grabbing a long bamboo stick from his house and heading over to teach a lesson to his opponent. Ghaffar saw this and ran out to stop his uncle, pleading that they were all commanded to love their neighbor as themselves!
Even though this was not yet a Christian setting, Ghaffar sought to apply the teaching of Scripture to the situation. He was being “salt and light” among his Muslim family and neighbors, practicing this command as well as sharing it with others. In Christian settings and in secular settings, we can always fulfill God’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Ask God how you can express love to a neighbor today.
Matt Friedman was a professor of global ministry at Kingswood University (NB)and previously served in southern Asia for eighteen years.
