Adopting The Focus That Jesus Had
Monday, July 31
Mark 2:17 NKJV
When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Devotion
Throughout His ministry, Jesus showed genuine love for people of all circumstances, but his focus was on the lost. He spent time with them, shared meals, and conversed with them. In all those ways He instilled value, and won their hearts. He healed their illnesses; and did not condemn them for the unhealthy condition that sin had put their souls in. The religious leaders looked down on His associating with sinners and the outcast.
We need to follow Jesus' example of compassion towards people. He took time to talk to the Samaritan woman. He had compassion on the blind, the sick, the lame. He delivered the tormented, and raised the dead! He touched the lives of the lost, and those who were often deemed undesirable, or unclean by society. Whatever condition one finds themselves in, Jesus is still the remedy.
Today's Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
We praise you this day for your everlasting love that is shown to all through the shedding of your most precious Son’s blood on the cross. Thank you for your tender mercies, and your loving kindness that are new every morning. Thank you that you have come to save the lost, and that you give life, and power over sin. We ask you to help us be more compassionate toward those who are spiritually unhealthy, entrapped in sin, and the outcast. Help us also where we fall short as well. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Apply It Today
In thinking about the ministry of Christ, what are some other examples of Jesus showing compassion on people that society deemed undesirable? Or on other sinners? How can you follow Christ's example within your community?
Resources:
- Be encouraged to come to the Lord just as you are, through this worship song by Free Chapel Music - Baptism Song
- This week, study the life of Jesus through the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Analyze how he related to the seemingly “unworthy” and see how you can apply his ways of ministry.