Sometimes the simplest questions are the best.
The pastor asked one of those simple questions when Becky and I visited a new church with our FREEDOM TOUR teammate Andrew Thorne last weekend. He began the message by asking, “What would change if you saw Jesus in the person next to you?”
The pastor shared a parable. I won’t get into the entire setup, but the result was statements like these:
If your buddy messed up, you might be quicker to cut him some slack or give him the benefit of the doubt if you saw Jesus in him.
You might not notice the homeless woman’s disheveled appearance if you saw Jesus in her.
You’d likely be less judgmental toward those who see things differently…
You might not be “too busy” when someone needs help…
You get the idea.
Jesus said it plainly.
“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’” (Matthew 25: 37-40 Msg)
He wanted me to see Him in the person next to me.
I don’t know about you, but I can get awfully wrapped up in making faith difficult. I need to be reminded regularly that Jesus is a person, not a collection of complicated ideas. Following Him is really about knowing Him.
It’s a relationship, not graduate school. I can start by seeing Him…in you.
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