Jesus Came for Sinners
OPENING PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, I pray for confidence to share the Gospel with others. Amen.
“On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.’” Matthew 9:12
REFLECT:
In the scripture above we see Jesus telling a group of religious people that it’s the sick that need a doctor not the healthy. He was saying this about Matthew, the tax collector who Jesus called to be a disciple. But Matthew didn’t start as a disciple.
Matthew was a tax collector who was despised by religious people and everyone else. Tax collectors were seen as one of the worst people in society. If there was someone who was “sick” in those days, it was the tax collectors. Jesus didn’t let that label stick for Matthew though. Jesus didn’t care about the label, he ran to Matthew and called him while he was a tax collector.
APPLY:
Often, we are afraid to seek someone out because of a label society has placed on them or we are afraid of what they are currently doing. We are scared to get in the middle of the life they’re living. Think of people you know in life that need Jesus. You may not know them that well but today be challenged to do what Jesus did. Walk toward them regardless of the label that’s on them. Take a step of faith to befriend them and get to know their story.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Jesus, help me see past the labels and see a person whom you love. Help me gain the confidence to share the Gospel with them. Amen.
CONTINUED READING:
Matthew 9:9-13, Luke 19:10, 1 Timothy 1:15