Some commands of the Bible seem reasonable. Some seem far from it. It would be reasonable to hear and heed Jesus' command to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength..." (Mark 12:30 NIV).

It's the second half of Jesus' command that trips us up, "The second is this 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (v. 31).

Love my neighbor? (I don't even like him . . .)

Love him as myself? (How can I do that?)

To further make His point, God repeats this command no less than five more times in the New Testament (Matthew 19:19; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9--10; Ga

If you're like most Christians, you may frequently opt for the corollary to that law--- "Good fences make good neighbors," meaning, "you stay on your side of the fence and I'll stay on mine, with an occasional smile and wave from the driveway." That's probably what the lawyer had in mind when he asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

Jesus understood that question's real need when He answered with the parable of "The Good Samaritan." If you remember, of the three people who "saw" the man in need, only the Samaritan "felt" compassion for him. Perhaps there in Jesus' parable, we find the answer to our questions too.

Who is my neighbor? How should I love him as myself? We can begin modeling God's compassion by making stepping- stones from the walls we've built between us.

Be available. Build into your schedule the casual opportunities to visit with your neighbors. Never be so consistently busy that you're limited only to your own interests.

Be involved. This fall, instead of signing up for multiple ministries at church, balance those commitments by modeling God's grace and love in community service. (Coach a Little League team, serve on the town council, or volunteer at a local shelter.)

Be accepting. Those who don't know the Lord will usually not live according to God's standards. Don't put them down or try to clean up their lives. Live right and they'll be attracted to the difference. "Let your gentle spirit be known to all men" (Philippians 4:5).

Be vulnerable. Your neighbors already know you're not perfect. (Admit that you're leaning hard on the Lord in specific areas of your life.) It's okay to tell them that you don't have all the answers. Remember, you're trusting the One who does.

Be compassionate. Behind the "got-it-all-together" masks your neighbors wear, know that they are searching for an answer to that "something's missing" feeling. Pray for them to respond to God's tug on their hearts and look for ways to directly minister to them.

Being a good neighbor by Jesus' definition means understanding that your faith is lived out against the backdrop of everyday relationships that come across your path.

Consider the community God has placed you in. Draw mental rings around the people you impact everyday. Begin with your home, circle wider to include your street or apartment complex, circle your town, then the greater area. Everywhere you find someone in need, you've found your neighbor.

This article has been adapted from Insights Newsletter, from the Bible-teaching ministry of Charles R. Swindoll (Plano, Texas: Insight for Living, June, 2000).