Nearly eight billion faces, each representing a story and a soul – every last one of them different in so many ways. Some are homeless, some are addicted to anything from food, drink and sex to any one or more of a number of drugs; some are single parents trying to make it work; some are happy and some are stressed and frustrated even suicidal, everyone of them believes in something even if they call it nothing. Atheists, deists, pious, self-righteous; Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian – people who look like you and people who don’t.
As a Christian witness where do YOU draw the line? Who is there in your life or in your day to day routine that you WILL NOT reach out to?
Why? Who were you and what were you doing when someone told you about the One who loved you anyways?
Last week we talked about loving, forgiving and serving others like Jesus loves, forgives and takes care of us; is there someone in your life for whom you could not do that?
After having heard how Jesus willingly set aside His rights and prerogatives as God (see Philippians 2:5-11) for the sake of those He came to save and that those rescued and redeemed by Him are called to do the same thing many believers would quickly say: “Yes, but he is Jesus, I am not.”
After hearing the command of the Lord after He had set aside His robe, filled a basin with water and washed the dirty feet of those who followed Him that they who believe in Him are to “do likewise” (John 13:15) many believers would quickly say: “Yes, but He is Jesus, I am not.”
After hearing that believers should love others (including those who don’t love them) as Christ loved them (John 5:12, Matthew 5:44) and that they should forgive as the Lord has forgiven them (Ephesians 4:32), many believers would say: “Yes, but He is Jesus, I am not!” as if those commands and instructions are beneath our dignity and beyond our own spiritual experience.
What does that even mean – “He is Jesus, I am not“?
Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God, holy, perfect, sinless – the creator of all things! If anyone had the right to decline setting aside their rights it was Jesus! If anyone had the right to say: “I am not loved by them, neither will Iove them” it was Jesus! If anyone ought to have been served rather than serve or had the right to refuse to stoop to the level of washing the filth from another persons feet – it was Jesus! But He did NOT claim His rights – He did all of those things which many believers today could NEVER bring themselves to do.
When we attempt to excuse ourselves from the call of the everyday Christian with words like “He is Jesus, I am not” we are not saying, “I can’t do it” in reality we are saying “I won’t!” Such are not merely overwhelmed by the thought of obeying, rather, they literally cannot find it in themselves to love the unlovable, to forgive the unforgivable or to minister to the “undesirable.”
My friends, selfless living is what you and I are called to as everyday followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the greatest example of Christ to show us how, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God to encourage, empower and enable us to do as Jesus did and we have the examples of people just like us who have been “Christ” to the “least of these” to prove that it is possible for the redeemed to act like it.
Would you be willing to go outside of your comfort zone to reach the ones you haven’t spoken to about the love of God in Christ Jesus? Let us all TRULY model the mind of Christ today – the world is waiting and the Lord is worthy.
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