One Commandment Christians Easily Disobey

I had the opportunity to speak with a group Junior High pupils about an incident I preached about in our church. This was the issue of sanitation and how our actions are unfortunately putting innocent lives in danger. We are all killing many people. And Christians are helping in the effort.
We’ve heard of the scripture love your neighbour as yourself countless times and how do we understand this?

Before I come to the love aspect of this commandment in the Holy Bible let me quickly jolt your memory on the Good Samaritan story from Sunday school.

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. (Luke 10:29-37)

Jesus told the story after He was asked to identify who ones neighbour is. The point of the story is that your neighbour can even be a stranger (of different race, political affiliation, skin colour etc). Your neighbour isn’t just someone from your household but rather someone who deserves to be shown mercy as well as someone who shows mercy.

Your neighbour isn’t just someone from your household but rather someone who deserves to be shown mercy as well as someone who shows mercy.

The Bible teaches us be kind to those we don’t know at all. But here we have Bible reading folks littering the environment without consideration for anyone. Preachers rarely admonish us to show mercy by keeping a tidy environment and volunteering in clean up exercises.

Throwing rubbish here and there, and dificating openly is not an act of kindness. In just the city of Accra, Ghana it has been estimated over 2,000 tonnes of rubbish choked in there. All these rubbish is made by “human beings” who believe in morality. What is morality and good conscience without thinking about others? To be moral is to act without hurting or offending another, or to behave in such a way that no one is put in harm’s way.

To be moral is to act without hurting or offending another, or to behave in such a way that no one is put in harm’s way.

Our disobedience to God’s commandment causes flooding and takes innocent lives. It also breeds malaria which has very obvious repercussions. How do we practise love to neighbours if we are their doom? Because of our terrible actions and the negligence of the after-effects about 2000 people including children die from diarrhea and bad sanitation each year in Ghana. Where are my Bible readers now? Or we yet do not understand the story of the Good Samaritan?

Our country has more Christians in it than any other known sect of religious people and yet we are the 7th dirtiest in the world (according to UNICEF).

It’s about time we become each other’s keeper to the point of voluntarily hand-picking rubbish and properly desposing them. Instead of waiting on the government to solve our problems which implores common sense, individuals can provide waste bins to do the work of God (i.e keeping a good sanitation to save lives).

And this is the definition of love your neighbour as yourself: practice life which considers the well-being of everyone whether known or unkown. You and I owe the universe and everyone in it some love. Let’s love well.

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8)