(Young Lawyer speaking) “But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, and who is my neighbour?” (Luke 10:29 KJV)
We recognize this as the young lawyer’s response to Jesus when Jesus challenged him about the most important commandment. This then leads Jesus to tell a story about a certain person. We know this story as the “Good Samaritan.”
Get your Bible and read Luke chapter 10. Then come back. I’ll wait.
Did you read it? Great. Now do that every day with a different passage in the Bible. Study God’s Word daily and God will draw you closer to Himself.
Mother Teresa was one of the most admired women in the world. She was a woman who devoted her life to the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India. The world's greatest leaders wanted to meet her and to experience her love and her try to understand her moral authority. He was just a tiny woman with a heart the size of the world who made such a difference in the world just by obeying God.
Some years ago, a young man wrote a letter to Mother Teresa, asking her how he could make his life worthwhile as she had with hers. He waited six months for a reply from this very busy lady. He never thought she would answer his letter. When the answer came, it was just a postcard with four words on it - four very powerful words - "Find your own Calcutta."
If we do just what comes naturally, we will live the kind of life most people do. It will be a life that is self-focused, self-centered, self-serving. But a life that's only as big as we are is too small to live in. And we may be feeling restricted by those emotional and spiritual limitations we think we have. Business as usual just isn't satisfying that restlessness in our hearts. Our life is full, but not really fulfilling. We need to find our own “Calcutta.” God tells us to find some people who need HIM and start pouring HIS life out for them. Then the lid will come off any limitations in our life.
Jesus gave us a beautiful and unforgettable picture of the two ways to live life in His classic story of the Good Samaritan. It's in Luke 10, beginning in verse 30.
There in that simple story is a picture of our lifestyle. Is ours a life that is focused all about us, and ignoring the needs of people in our path? Or is ours a life that is not all about us, stopping for people's needs, and bearing in the name of Jesus Christ the burdens of a bleeding world?
I believe we all know the kind of life we want. We need to learn to wake up each morning asking God, "What can you and I do together today to change the world?" not "What can you do for me today?" There are people in our personal circle - people in our communities - who desperately need Jesus Christ and someone to tell them about Jesus Christ. We must be ready and willing to be there for them.
And remember, there is no greater difference we can make in someone's life than to introduce them to Jesus Christ and to take them to heaven with us!
With however many or few years we have left, we must stay focused on living our lives to make the greatest possible difference in other people’s lives for Jesus Christ.
The community and world that we live in is full of people who are empty and searching for some type of meaning. There are days are filled with desperation and they can’t seem to find relief.
They may put on masks of happiness, to appear fine to everyone, but when they return to their homes at night they cry themselves to sleep because their life is pointless and they long to find something in life to make them happy and give them a sense of meaning. They look at their lives and wonder what it is all about.
God has given the people in HIs “church” and the members of His Body the responsibility to reach these hurting people. Evangelist Charles Wendell Winkler tells us that the church is to be a “hospital for the hurting and not a museum for the saved.” We need to understand that we are to reach out to all people who need the grace of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We need to reach out to the single mother who works two jobs to support her kids.
We need to reach out to the drug addict who can’t stop his habit.
We need to reach out to any person who struggles with self esteem.
We need to reach out to couples who live together and may never have been exposed to the best way to build a home.
We need to reach out to the alcoholic who is ready to admit he needs help.
We must be ready to obey God and step out in faith to follow His command to “go and do the same.”
Ezekiel 34:16 we see God saying that He will, “Search for the lost, bring back those that stray away, put bandages on those that are hurt, and make the weak strong."
Those of us who claim to be believers followers of Jesus Christ are the ones who God sends out to bring the lost home. This is because we understand that God wants all people saved, not just us. God wants ALL people to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
What is our response to be? I am going to let Jesus answer that. “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” (Luke 10:36-37 NLT)
If we have accepted Jesus as Savior, We have a place in heaven. Jesus said so. Our mission, our passion needs to become bringing as many people as possible to heaven with us by telling others about Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” Go and find your own “Calcutta.”
Hello Again!!
7 years ago
