I want to see myself and others as Jesus does...
Jesus looked at the demon possessed man and loved him. He did not fear the extreme violence before Him. He did not cower or feel repulsion. He loved him and extended His gift - freedom from his bondage.
Jesus looked at the children and loved them. He didn't see them as an interruption. He didn't see them as a nuisance. He didn't see them as walking germs. He touched them. Exalted them as a worthy example.
Jesus looked at the woman at the well and loved her. He didn't angrily reprimand her. He gently, ever so gently, exposed her sin and offered her hope of forgiveness - of new life. He risked His reputation to sit and talk with her.
Jesus looked at the man lowered before Him and loved him. He didn't see him as a disruption. He didn't see the "modification" to the house as destructive. He was glad to be sought. He healed the man and commended his faith.
Jesus encountered the woman caught in adultery and loved her. He was not disgusted by her. He was not indignant. He quieted her angry accusers and sent her away to a life of purity.
Jesus looked at the proud Pharisee praying his arrogant prayer. Quickly his gaze turned elsewhere. He looked at the man who had sinned and was thus grieved and loved him. He used him as an example of proper posture before God.
Jesus looked at the thief on the cross next to Him and loved Him. He didn't revel in his due consequences. He looked beyond and saw his humility - his honest desire for forgiveness and gave it.
Do I - do you - see people as Jesus sees them? Do we love them? Do we grieve for their lostness? Do we remain calm and composed as Jesus always did and create opportunities to lead people to Himself? Do we sit with the sinner and listen to him? Do we love him? Do we sacrifice sleep, a meal, our time to embellish the opportunity? Can we change course and leave our comfort zones to rescue a lost and suffering soul?
I am appalled at myself and at other Christians who lose our way. Our mooring is not fixed as it should be when we neglect to look through the eyes of our Lord at the masses - or the individual - and love them. Lost souls are never a nuisance, a thing to be gotten rid of. They are God's creation with a bit of His nature wrapped 'round.
It is easy to say, b-b-b-b-ut and seek to justify (like I have done), but we should be humble and remember the truth. The truth will set us free to behave as Jesus would and did. Oh that His mercy will extend forgiveness as we have erred.
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3 comments:
You have beautifully described the powerful force of love that changes the world for the better. The quiet, humble, under-the-radar, power that will do more than civil disobedience, revolution, or peaceful sit-in protests. We need to simply be Jesus' second advent.
Very beautifully written....thought-provoking and convicting. Thanks for sharing this!!
I agree with what you've said, but Jesus did also deal with many situations differently, correctly each time. While he may have tenderly corrected some, He sternly rebuked others. While Peter tried to rebuke Jesus for teaching of His death, Jesus responded in Mark 8:33 by saying, "Get behind Me, Satan ...". Jesus had quickly recognized that Peter's interests did not match God's and rebuked him in front of His disciples. Also in the matter of the money changers in the temple, Jesus violently drove them out. He chose to use the method of correction that was necessary for each one and in each situation. Sometimes He chose tenderness and care and at other times He chose a rod of correction. The great example of Jesus is that He always showed His love to each one.
I think we should not be turned off or put off by situations that may be uncomfortable, like a homeless man on the street asking for change, but we should KNOW how to respond to each one. There will be times that we ought to act with tenderness and care, but there also might be a time where we need to act with firmness and directness while always showing our love and letting God's light be seen in us.
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