MATTHEW 9:35-38 – And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

THEME OF THE DAY. HAVING JESUS’ EYESIGHT. There is no such thing as “action-less” love in the life of a Christian. The Bible knows nothing of a love without actions. To know the love of Christ means a life of action from that knowledge. I, or better yet, we, simply cannot proclaim far and wide the words, “I love Jesus” and not have consistent evidence of that proclamation being true. And the evidence will be in real and tangible service, both spiritual and physical, to people, especially God’s people. The Apostle John exhorts us, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). We often hear the saying, “You must walk the talk” when it comes to the Christian life. It is a good saying and I would expand it to read, “You must walk the walk of Christ’s love if we are going to talk of knowing Christ’s love.

When it comes to the walk of love, the walk as Christ walked, there is one thing we must develop in our lives. It is found in today’s scripture; having the eyes of Jesus. If we are to love people, evidencing our identity in Christ, we have to see people as Christ sees people. And how does our Lord see people? As lost sheep. Without a shepherd. Helpless. Harassed. Friends, when we leave the safe confines of our homes and see our neighbors, friends, people in stores, on the highway, at our jobs, and anywhere else we observe people, who do we see? There are basically only two types of people in the world; Christ’s sheep and those who are not. If we are to live out the walk of love, we must reduce our eyesight to just these two categories. As we do, we then respond in the compassion of Christ. To His sheep, our walk of love to them will be in the ministry of encouragement and help in their spiritual growth. To those not His sheep, our walk of love to them will be praying for their souls, serving them with redemptive purpose, and sharing the Gospel in Word and deed.

Here is where the Christian life really takes Biblical shape and is lived; walking in Christ’s love, seeing people in the two categories of saved and lost, and responding to each group as Christ would. Here is also where the Christian finds joy. When we see the world as Jesus sees the world, our lives are calibrated with right priorities and eternal perspectives. Now the Christian life becomes exciting and purposeful. And it all begins with seeing people as Jesus sees them. Are we? If not, let’s resolve to seek the Lord, the “Divine Optometrist” and get our vision corrected so we may see clearly to walk the walk of love He has provided for us.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to develop the eyes of Your Son in seeing all people and responding in His love to all people.”

QUOTE: “Compassion leads action. If Jesus’ compassion is something we know, then it will show in our actions toward others.”