(Psalms 142:4 NLT) “I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.”
One of the first things noticed about the follower of Christ by the world is Christ’s great love! This love embraces the broken and the downcast regardless of current personal situations but all too often we get stuck on how people are different. Remember how scary change was prior to coming to Christ? Some have never dealt with how they look at change, once they switched to the other side of the track all that apprehension for change was directed at who they use to be. Before we came to Christ we too were different but now we’ve made a lifestyle out of going to church, reading our bibles, and our friends do the same. Unfortunately, if we are not careful we begin to think that is why we are different but that’s not it! We are different through Christ alone and daily we must stay in Him! For only He can change a broken and contrite heart. Instead of allowing our pre-Christ experiences compel us towards compassion for others somehow we’ve become too comfortable where we are at and thus our impact for Christ has dwindled to a handshake and stiff smile on Sunday mornings.
This message is first and foremost for me, I am quite by nature and if I am not careful can be seen as unfriendly, even though that is not the intent. For some to be warm and inviting takes more work but that does not mean we do not try, people are depending upon you, especially you, loving them closer to Christ Jesus whether they realize it or not. Regardless of the talents you have been given loving others is something we can all do!
Jesus said, (Matthew 7:3-4 NLT) “And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye?”
Lord, thank you for first loving me, even before I knew you. Thank you for your tender ways and for loving me into relationship with you. You do call me to change daily but your love is not based on performance, if it were I would surely fall away. What is it in me that makes it so easy to judge others? Help me Lord to be more like you each day. Give my eyes the ability to see how your heart is moved with compassion for people who don’t know you yet. You said that you being the Good Shepherd would leave the ninety-nine to rescue the one and that all heaven rejoices when just one makes the decision to follow you. Break away this hard outer shell around my heart O, Lord and make it new again. It’s difficult to go through life with the doors of your heart wide open but that was the example you gave us when you walked this earth. Thank you for that and help me to be mindful of it each day and give me strength to do the same, in Jesus name I pray, amen.
