It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Mark 2:17)
Tim is a new Christian. Six months ago, he was in jail. He described himself as an alcoholic who wasn’t very nice to be around most of the time. For the last few years, his neighbor kept reaching out to him. She told him she was praying for him. She showed care, not condemnation. Finally, he accepted an invitation to go to church with her. Not long after, someone shared the gospel with him and began discipling him. He surrendered his life to Jesus and got baptized. Now, Tim is a new creation.
One of the most profound and surprising changes is his perspective on people. The old Tim was primarily selfish. The new Tim has more love for others. After his baptism, he wrote a letter to ten inmates in jail, telling them the story of how Jesus has changed his life. He has also reached out to someone else who is struggling with alcohol, offering to walk with him and share the hope he has found.
Tim’s story reminds me that Jesus is actively pursuing broken people. He came to heal and save. Jesus loves people who get drunk, who drop the F-bomb in every sentence, who are addicted to meth, who haven’t been to church in a decade, or who are cohabitating with their partner. He spent time with people like this. Do you?
Spend time with someone who is not a Christian.
Jarod Osborne is lead pastor of Pathway [Wesleyan] Church, in Warsaw, Indiana. He is the author of Jaded Faith (WPH).
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
