Step Next Door: Because He loves them... // Post by Leah

...because He loves them...

“Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted

according to the graces we have received and

let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.”

― Mother Teresa

A woman who works towards abolishing sex trafficking in Thailand made a statement about the Western Church that I found to be quite interesting. She said that the mentality of the church seems to be, “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, touch no evil… and we won’t be evil.” I believe that in many cases, this is the misconseption that western believers have. Often times, supposed followers of Jesus are found completely isolating themselves from the "outside" world and hiding in a Christian bubble. However, we are supposed to be the representation of Jesus on this earth, He is our example. So what did He do? How did He live?

Who did He go to?

Jesus didn’t go to the prim, proper, healthy, and reputable people with His love, grace, favor, mercy, and compassion. He went to the ones that in His culture, no one claiming to be “righteous” would dare be seen with. Beautiful Jesus was also known to devote His time to people that others may have seen as unworthy of their time. The ones hungry for love was where His tender gaze fell.

He knelt down with an adulterous woman

He had dinner with a tax collector

He sat at a well with a woman who couldn’t keep a husband

He touched the leper

He fed the hungry

He delivered the demon possessed

He let a sinful woman wash and kiss his feet

He invested in loving and blessing children

And He made unlearned, laymen His disciples

Jesus was not concerned in the slightest about His reputation. In fact, He made Himself of no reputation (See Phil. 2:7). He wasn’t afraid to be seen with the so called, “less than ordinary”. Why? Because Jesus didn’t see them that way. He looked on them with love and compassion, and all He could see is, “Here is a person who is redeemable”. Jesus was not in the business of identifying people by their weaknesses, He was in the business of handing out new identities, free from blemish. In fact, He became our darkness so that we could become the Light of the world. And He wasn’t worried about what anyone would think of Him. The one ambition of Jesus was to please the Heart of the Father.

As followers of Jesus, as little anointed ones, we must be willing to do everything the Father asks of us no matter how controversial it may seem. Out of love for Him, we should not be concerned what others may or may not think of us. When we feel the Father smiling over us that alone should be our gain.

SO what has provoked me to ponder this? Well, the Father asked me and my friend (Heather) to do something this year that took us by suprise. It wasn't at all what we were expecting. Yet, because we love Him, everything inside of us wanted to do what He asked of us.

{What did He ask of us?}

In essence, He told us that He had some wonderful treasures inside a certain gentlemen’s club and asked us if we would gift them with evidence of His love this Christmas. And we said yes.