Day 282/365- Matthew 9:35-38

"Living like Jesus"

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." (Matthew 9:35-38 NLT)

This is one of my favorite passages in the gospels. We see a clear pattern for our lives that Jesus models for us.

(1) When we go where Jesus goes, we see what Jesus sees.

Jesus is going throughout all the towns & healing the people. He is going to where the people are & meeting their physical & spiritual needs. It's in this going from town to town that he sees people & has compassion on them. He doesn't wait for people to come to him but he goes to them.

In the same way for us, if we are going to reach people, meeting their physical needs & sharing the gospel with them, then we must go to where they are. They are not coming to us. The days of "If you build it, they will come" church are long gone. We must go to where people are. We must follow Jesus to the places he would go to minister to the people he loves. If we go where Jesus goes, we see what Jesus sees.

(2) When we see what Jesus sees, we feel what Jesus feels.

I remember first hearing this idea from Ken Freeman, an evangelist. He says that Jesus looks at the people with compassion because they are harnessed & in need of a shepherd.

We will never feel compassion for people who need Jesus unless we see them through the eyes of Jesus. Most religious people resent lost people. Jesus has compassion on them. The charge is the same for us. We must see them as just crying out for someone to love them & be willing to demonstrate the love of Jesus to them with our hands & feet. When we see what Jesus sees, we feel what Jesus feels.

(3) When we feel what Jesus feels, we do what Jesus does.

Jesus need workers. He is looking for laborers. We are called to pray for laborers & go out into the field to labor ourselves. When we go where Jesus goes & feel what Jesus feels, it's no longer enough to just see needs, we feel compelled to meet them. We feel compelled to share the gospel with them. We must follow Jesus & do what he does, love like he loves, & give like he gives. When we feel what Jesus feels, we do what Jesus does.