This morning I read Mark. Jesus is speaking in the synagogue but then stops to drive out an evil spirit. Later on in the chapter we are told Jesus heals the sick and is filled with compassion for a leper desperate to be healed of his disease.
To live like Jesus did on earth is to feel what He felt and see the World from His eyes. Jesus was not focused on Himself. He was outward focused. He saw all the broken hearts, the sinful lives, the sickness, the suffering. He saw and felt it all. And he was filled with compassion and love for the broken and abused. He did not turn a deaf ear or a blind eye. He didn't use up his time on trivial matters whilst the real needy and broken where left untouched. He spend every waking moment preaching the good news of the gospel AND spreading love, touching lives, healing and restoring broken people.
What about us? Are we content living and working in our safe little world? Are we content to be involved in trivial temporary affairs? Do we turn away from the homeless, the sick, the rejected, the criminals, the outcasts? Do we pretend abortion, human trafficking, refugees, child abuse, and other tragedies of our day don't exist? Do our hearts break for the injustices all around us? Do we seek to go where others have not spreading love, forgiveness and mercy to those who need it most? Do we even bother reaching out to those who are around us or are we too busy in our own temporary affairs?
I feel incredibly convicted to break out of my safe little comforting World. Why am I content to avoid sin, do the acceptable Christian things, be involved in church activities, and think that's all that is required of me?? Why am I content at the end of a day where I've avoided blatant sin, done the right thing and worked hard to sit and waste my life away watching television? Where is the passion for the lost? Where is the kingdom mindset? Where is the attitude that every moment of my life is a precious opportunity to impact others for Christ??? When did my heart become so hardened to a dying lost World around me?
So what can I do? A good start for me would be to turn off the television. I want to seek God and ask forgiveness for my lack of compassion and kingdom focus. I want to pray for a soft and passionate heart that is ready and willing to help those around me. And i want to start looking for more opportunities in everything I do to impact others. Knowing that time is precious. I can never get back the wasted hours of yesterday, but I can use my time today to make a difference.
A word of caution. This post is not meant to condemn or discourage. Not all of us are going to be out on the street corners preaching the gospel passionately or called to be missionaries in foreign lands. But we all have unlimited opportunities to reach people that God has placed directly in our path for that specific purpose.
