God put you where you are for them.

This is a short challenge to take responsibility for our neighbors. In 1 Corinthians 12:19 we read that God placed the parts of the body where he wanted them to be he arranged them as he saw fit, which means that you are where you are for God's purposes, for his glory, for the cause of Christ.

And of course for the mission of making disciples.

So when you find yourself living next door to someone or across the street from someone or in the same office the same classroom the same team the same circle of friends consider the possibility that you are on assignment. (Because you are!)

Begin by interceding for those that you find yourself in the presence of, for the people you see all the time. Just start praying and start paying attention. It may be that intercession is all that you're called to do in relation to that person. And that is not insignificant. You are addressing through intercession the invisible spiritual reality in their lives. You may be clearing the way for others to speak into their life and bring them down the path towards faith in Christ.

It might be that you are called to assist with some kind of physical need. One day my wife and I looked out the front window of our house and saw between the gap through to the next back alley a lady stuck in a snowbank with her car. I jumped in my pickup, drove around the block, hooked up the tow rope and yanked her out of the snowbank. That opened the door to future conversation with my wife- when the lady was out shoveling her snow or mowing her grass or walking her dog, the ice had already been broken and it was easy to talk.

It might be that that what we might consider a “superficial relationship” goes deeper. One of our neighbors had a parent pass away and that led to a deeper conversation about issues of losing loved ones.

Last summer in our area there were some very serious forest fires our community was under evacuation alert. During that time two different people- a man from down the street and another lady from down the other side of the street- knocked on our door because they were so stressed about the alert and they didn't know what they would do if they were evacuated. They just needed someone to talk to and so we were able to talk with them and to pray with them.

I just want to encourage you to look up from what you're doing, to look up from that daily and weekly routine that we often go through with our heads down not looking up, just look up and see who God has placed before you. And then start to take responsibility for your neighbors.

​Who is my neighbor? Well, who has God put in your face? Who are the people around you who have a need that you can meet in Jesus' name? Your part of the world like my part of the world- like every part of the world- is full of lonely, confused, fearful people. God put you where you are for them.