It’s really important to take note of the fact that Jesus didn’t only spend time with people He agreed with. He took time to be present with many people who needed Him. He would look into their lives and though He didn’t necessarily agree with their choices, He still loved them.
Why? Because they all needed to be seen. They needed to feel worthy of love and to be loved. They were all looking for identity in things other than Him.
Guess what? It’s not any different today. We are so quick to cut people out or throw a label on them because they are different from us. Instead of following Christ’s model and working through relationships, we want to argue them into submission. However Christ didn’t come to argue with us. He didn’t come to condemn us. It’s quite the opposite. He came to save us (John 3:17). He also didn’t come for the healthy or the righteous, He came for those who needed saved (Matthew 9:12). And despite how well we may view ourselves or how good of a person we think we are, we ALL need His blood.
When we understand love through Christ’s lens, we can better operate within relationships. John explained it perfectly, when he wrote: “This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers… we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. This is how we will know we belong to the truth…” (1 John 3:16-20).
Friends, Jesus came out of an overflow of love. He chose to walk amongst sinners, and He chose to die for each of us. As we head into a new week, let’s follow His lead. In a world of hurting people looking for identity, for belonging, for worth, and for love, let’s be different. Let’s be present. Let’s see them for who they were made to be and share in the overflow of love we have received. This week, let’s look past the worldly things that separate us from one another and instead, let’s choose to walk with those who need to know they are loved, chosen, and bought with the blood of Christ.
Have a great week, friends!
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