A New Lease on Living in Christ

I had a revelation the other day while I was driving down the road. I started thinking about all the people that Jesus spent His time with. I also thought about all the people that we see today who are just like those He loved most. Jesus' heart was after those who were broken, not the ones that were already "fixed." But, He saw them from a different perspective. Of course he saw them as sinners. What's funny though, He did not see them as we see most people that we call "sinners."

Too many times these days, we so-called Christians see non-believers for their sins before ever seeing them for the people they are. We see the druggie, the alcoholic, the homosexual, the player, or the greedy businessman. We don't see the person. Jesus always saw right past the sin to the heart of the person. He saw the hurt, the pain, the longing for love, and the yearning for belonging to something special. It's time to change our perspective.

When Jesus met the sinful woman at the Pharisee's house in Luke chapter 7, this was his exact perspective. Granted, her heart may already have been seeking Christ and forgiveness, but if Jesus saw her exactly as the Pharisee saw her, then her perception of Christ would have been totally changed. But her heart sought after what she knew to be true. If we can change our perspective towards that of Christ's heart, then those we encounter will see that we do not conform to the "Christians" of this world.

For too long I have watched as supposed Christians disgrace the very nature of Christ's heart. As a disclaimer, I do not presume to know the heart of Christ. If I did, I would have Him figured out and that is simply impossible. We must see others through the eyes of Christ and not those of a Pharisee. There are many people out there whose hearts are aching for us to love them for where they are, not where we expect them to be. We must look past their sins, look deep into their hearts, show them Christ's love, and leave the heart changing to God. When we supplant ourselves into Christ's role, we take away His power and make it our own. It is not ours to own.

Using my wide angle lens on life,
Jesus Freak Out!