Help!
All around us, every day, we have people who are crying out for HELP. These cries, however, are not usually coming past their lips, but demonstrated by their lives — by the infinite ways they’re trying to fill a void, by insecurity from not feeling valued, overconfidence by basing their self-esteem on their accomplishments, emptiness rooted in meaningless lives, and being funny to cover the pain they carry every day.
Jesus was completely aware of the conditions of people all around Him — the woman in a massive crowd who was desperate for healing, the lepers whom society had declared unclean, the tax-gatherers and sinners who religious people despised, the Samaritans who were from “the other side of the tracks,” and women who were little more than property to be used when convenient. People from all these categories became vital participants of Jesus’ personal life and public ministry. He really cared for these people. He stepped out and did what others would look down on Him for – he stepped into their lives in simple ways.
Jesus didn’t only give in these relationships. He knew that He also needed to receive from them. He received so much from those that others overlooked — friendship, love, affirmation, insight, good times, a good reputation by those outside religious circles, gifts of great sacrifice, homes to stay in, feasts to enjoy, laughter, and the thrill of influencing hungry people who needed help.
If you want to be like Jesus (and I hope you do), you MUST notice those who need you. You MUST step into the lives of those who still haven’t met Jesus. You MUST embrace them as a friend and not as a project. You MUST recognize that you will receive as much as you will give. If you want to be like Jesus…
Take the leap. Step into the life of someone who needs to meet Jesus. Just be a friend. Affirm them, enjoy them, treat them as better than yourself, encourage them, love them without any strings attached.
HELP — I Need Somebody is the theme of our Sundays in September, all culminating on our OUTREACH SUNDAY, September 25. Let’s see a God-thing happen on that day as our church is filled with hundreds of people who may say “YES” to Jesus for the very first time.
