I am your standard O.K. neighbor. We don’t make excessive noise. Our property is well maintained. It doesn’t depreciate the value of the homes around us. If you need a hand, just ask. I would be happy to help you move furniture, help you if you have fallen, even temporarily take care of your yard.
What makes me just O.K. is that I haven’t got to know my neighbors very well. Our neighborhood has fenced yards, electric garage doors and back porches. We don’t see each other much. If we do, we just wave. It can be more.
Imagine a group of neighbors who know each other very well. They occasionally eat together, drink together or do something else fun. When disaster strikes, they rally around each other. No one has to worry about food, lawn or even emotional support. Despite religious diversity, the neighbors are comfortable enough to ask you as a Christian to pray for them. They know that they can come to you and ask questions about the Bible and Jesus if they are curious. God will make them curious. You serve as a sort of de facto pastor for those who have none.
People need neighbors like that. Most people don’t have them. Perhaps you can change that. Introduce yourself. Bring a housewarming gift. Throw a neighborhood party. Invite even the selfish, jerk neighbor. Pray for them. Eventually, after you get to know each other and feel comfortable, ask to pray for their specific needs. They will probably agree.
God is working in your neighbors’ lives already. Being a great neighbor is simply making life better, but if God needs you to do more, you are well positioned to do so. With God’s help you may make a major difference in your neighbors lives, and they may be a blessing to you that goes far beyond the years you lived next to each other.
Giving Christ 