The Eyes of Jesus

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Ronnie outlined three things that Jesus did to reach others and tried to get the disciples to understand:   

         1.  Teach others

         2.  Reach out to others

         3.  Meet people where they are.

He alluded to a problem that almost all of us have and that is the tendency to look at the outside of a person without ever seeing the person within.  It is interesting to think about because we do it all the time.  We judge people by the clothes they wear- the brands, the fit, the style.  We judge them by the way they look- are they tan, fit, covered in tattoos & piercings?  We judge them by the job they do or if they don’t work we judge that too.  We all have notions of what someone ought to do and the way they ought to do it. 

The fact is, just like you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, you also can’t necessarily judge a person by their outward appearance.  Sometimes you have to look in a person’s eyes to really see inside them and see what they are feeling. 

I started praying that God would help me to see people as He sees them back when I was in high school.  It is difficult to do sometimes but when you look past all of the walls that people put up you can see their hurts, their needs, their vulnerabilities. 

In order to reach people for Christ, we must be willing to meet them where they are.  That means that you may have to step out of your comfort zone and get down where they live.  It means you have to let your guard down a little and become vulnerable yourself.  It means that you may have to endure a little grief from your friends and family and, (gulp!) other believers. 

To truly see others through the eyes of Christ, we have to leave the comfort of our homes, our seats in the church and our Sunday school rooms or small groups. 

The fact is that Jesus sees us all in one of two ways:  He either rejoices because we have been redeemed by His blood at the foot of the cross, or He weeps because we haven’t yet come into a relationship with Him.

Imagine the change it would make in the world if you and I looked at everyone we met in that same way. 

Father, give me your vision of our lost world.  Help me to unshackle myself from the conventions that hold me back from seeing people as you see people.  Give me the courage to show love to the unlovable and show mercy to those that don’t deserve it, just as you loved me and showed mercy to me.  Help me to go to the lost with a message of your love and salvation.   In Jesus Name, Amen.