My Daily Pause

Jesus looked directly at you!

Sitting in a crowd of fellow followers you notice he makes eye contact with every person. Then he announces:

“Here are my mother and my brothers!” – Mark 3:34

Jesus wants to adopt each and every soul to his family. To get in, there is a simple requirement:

For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother. – Mark 3:35

Doing the will of God takes a lifetime of dedication.

But then, so does keeping any family strong.

The Denial of Peter – ca 1610 – Caravaggio (1573–1610)

What if we were to lump a decision not to act on behalf of Christ, into the same category as Peter denying Christ? (Matthew 26:69-75)

When we hear others make disparaging remarks about our Lord, isn’t failing to defend him the same as agreeing?

When consciously we do something sinful, isn’t that like turning our backs on him?

What if the Lord were to turn and look at you every time you deny him like he did to Peter that day? (Luke 22:61)

How would that feel?

Jesus healing the servant of a Centurion – Paolo Veronese (1528–1588)

In Luke 7:1-10, the centurion’s servant is healed. Jesus marveled at his faith compared to what he was finding among the Jews.

The centurion had good references (Luke 7:4) from the Jewish elders even though he was a Gentile. He was also an officer in the hated army of Rome. He built the synagogue for the Jews and as far as we can tell, he believed in Jesus as soon as he knew about him.

It might be human nature to size people up based on external factors, but it is not God’s nature to do so. (cf. Acts 10:34, James 2:1) As today’s call to action, try to reach out to someone that others might have written off because of who they are.

We might find a centurion.

We might even be impressed like Jesus was. (Luke 7:9)

…even sinners love those who love them. – Luke 6:32

Today when you attend worship, say hello to someone you’ve never spoken to. Try to step outside your comfort zone for a little while.

It’s good practice for acting like a Christian among those in the world. Jesus expects his disciples to demonstrate a quality of love, helpfulness, and compassion that exceeds everything that is above and beyond what people tend to do.

When you have mastered this among your fellow church folks, and are able to avoid “fellowship” with only selected friends, you are ready to show worldly people a Christ-like love for all.

As we plan and mentally prepare for our next worship, let’s ask ourselves if we have a heart fit for the Spirit to dwell in it. (Ephesians 3:16-17)

That heart – one that is grounded in love – is the vessel for the “fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19) Our time with the rest of the body of Christ will give us the tools to enlarge that vessel.