{"id":27817,"date":"2026-10-28T08:13:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T12:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=27817"},"modified":"2026-10-28T08:36:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T12:36:07","slug":"27817","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=27817","title":{"rendered":"An Obedience to Love\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Yollandi Nortjie - If can help Somebody\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nFdOTzAweLk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Wednesday, October 28, 2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Summarizing the parable of the good Samaritan (<a href=\"https:\/\/email.cac.org\/t\/d-l-wtjtihd-dkgktyktu-j\/\">Luke 10:25\u201337<\/a>), Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King reflects on how we define our neighbor:&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Who is my neighbor? \u201cI do not know his name,\u201d says Jesus in essence. \u201cHe is anyone toward whom you are neighborly. He is anyone who lies in need at life\u2019s roadside. He is neither Jew nor Gentile; he is neither Russian nor American; he is neither Negro nor white.<strong> He is a \u2018certain man\u2019\u2014any needy man\u2014on one of the numerous Jericho roads of life.\u201d<\/strong> So Jesus defines a neighbor, not in a theological definition, but in a life situation. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What constituted the goodness of the good Samaritan? Why will he always be an inspiring paragon of neighborly virtue? It seems to me that this man\u2019s goodness may be described in one word\u2014altruism. The good Samaritan was altruistic to the core&#8230;. <strong>The Samaritan was good because he made concern for others the first law of his life.\u2026&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Man-made laws assure justice, but a higher law produces love<\/strong>\u2026. The good Samaritan represents the conscience of [humankind] <strong>because he also was obedient to that which could not be enforced.<\/strong> No law in the world could have produced such unalloyed compassion, such genuine love, such thorough altruism\u2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than ever before, my friends, [people] of all races and nations are today challenged to be neighborly. The call for a worldwide good-neighbor policy is more than an ephemeral shibboleth&#8230;. No longer can we afford the luxury of passing by on the other side. Such folly was once called moral failure; today it will lead to universal suicide. We cannot long survive spiritually separated in a world that is geographically together. In the final analysis, <strong>I must not ignore the wounded man on life\u2019s Jericho Road, because he is a part of me and I am a part of him<\/strong>. <strong>His agony diminishes me and his salvation enlarges me. &nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our quest to make neighborly love a reality, we have, in addition to the inspiring example of the good Samaritan, the magnanimous life of our Christ to guide us. <strong>His altruism was universal<\/strong>, for he thought of all [people], even publicans and sinners, as brothers. <strong>His altruism was dangerous<\/strong>, for he willingly traveled hazardous roads in a cause he knew was right. <strong>His altruism was excessive, <\/strong>for he chose to die on Calvary,<strong> history\u2019s most magnificent expression of obedience to the unenforceable. &nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>================<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/app-link\/post?publication_id=4885540&amp;post_id=222252933&amp;utm_source=post-email-title&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=true&amp;r=2dkj2&amp;token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozOTkyMzY2LCJwb3N0X2lkIjoyMjIyNTI5MzMsImlhdCI6MTc5MzExMDUyMCwiZXhwIjoxNzk1NzAyNTIwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItNDg4NTU0MCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.m1j_3pUbOANQHFjxiRLsyPoVuDGK1bwdx5BBN9swFws\">A Jesus Follower\u2019s Voter Guide<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Something to carry with you into next Tuesday<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@beaustringer\">BEAU STRINGER<\/a>OCT 27<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/@beaustringer\"><\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/b90992ab-fc42-46be-83de-b5dc471d4339?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!A71z!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2dbcfb4f-b839-4180-a69c-c67174699c36_5891x3927.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Election Day is one week from today, and if you\u2019re feeling a little worn out by the whole thing, you\u2019re definitely not alone. I have had several conversations lately with folks who feel anxious about this season, and a lot of them have told me it\u2019s hard to know how your faith fits into all of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I made something for you.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a short guide with eight truths about Jesus and how they might shape the way we think about casting a vote. I put it together as a simple image so it\u2019s easy to save, print, or pass along to someone who might need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Big shout out to&nbsp;<a href=\"\">Brian Zahnd<\/a>, whose own Christian voter\u2019s guide inspired me to write this one.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\/redirect\/a390b8d7-b7e2-4de9-abf5-f3f10ecf7e88?j=eyJ1IjoiMmRrajIifQ.ND0qR5RKsmVnltuWgIlyr3BY7uwq2Kt9ZzX29UJK4cg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!fkSD!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa9c5e6df-7303-4730-96f2-af26d50cf6e6_871x1129.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><\/td><td><\/td><td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I kept each point simple, and every one of them centers on Jesus. Something he said or did, or something the church has confessed about him from the very beginning. From there I trust you to connect the dots for your own life and your own ballot. I refuse to endorse anyone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My hope is that this helps you walk into the voting booth remembering who you belong to. The earliest followers of Jesus lived under an empire that asked for their loyalty, and they kept right on saying \u201cJesus is Lord.\u201d That confession is ours too, next Tuesday and every day after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And whatever the results are a week from now, I hope you\u2019ll wake up on Wednesday knowing what is true. Jesus is still risen. <strong>The worst thing is never the last thing<\/strong>. <strong>Every neighbor you pass is still made in the image of God. And the kingdom he talked about is still quietly growing all around us<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019d like a prayer to carry with you, here\u2019s one you\u2019re welcome to borrow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>God of every nation and every neighbor, give me clear eyes and a kind heart as I vote. Help me care most about the people you care about. Keep me from fear and from contempt. And whatever the results are, remind me that my hope rests in you. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wednesday, October 28, 2026 Summarizing the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25\u201337), Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King reflects on how we define our neighbor:&nbsp; Who is my neighbor? \u201cI do not know his name,\u201d says Jesus in essence. \u201cHe is anyone toward whom you are neighborly. He is anyone who lies in need at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27817"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27817"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27817\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27825,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27817\/revisions\/27825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27817"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27817"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27817"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}