Who's On Your List?

Living out in the Antelope Valley is an experience like no other. Having grown up in the Northwest with luscious green trees and clear flowing streams has made this transition a bit of a shock in getting used to my new scenery. My typical drive to work consists of passing numerous Joshua trees which are basically glorified cactuses and desert flats spanning for miles. Another part of the experience for anyone who moves to a new location is getting to know the people in the local community and falling in love with their culture and heritage.

           

            Most recently in my time with the Lord, I’ve been challenged in a new way. I’ve really been pushed by God to look at how I view myself and others. To be a little more specific, how I view my relationship with the Father and how I view others in relationship to Him. Before you click away because of that confusing comment, allow me to briefly explain myself as I believe you will find a real connection to what I’m about to say.

            I was reading Luke 14:15-24, the parable of the great supper, and in this parable we learn how the host Jesus, instructs His servants to go out to those who are maimed, lame, and blind. Now although we have a lot of people in our communities who have these challenges, I believe that Jesus is talking more specifically about the spiritually maimed, lame, and blind, those who are far away from Him. Maybe it’s those who don’t go to church, those who at our work use profanity or make rude comments. Jesus instructs his servant to go out to those who are far away and invite them to the feast.

            Now as I read this, I felt a conviction inside myself. Think about it, Jesus is willing to love those who most of us don’t feel like loving. He is willing to reach out to those who are furthest from God. I began thinking about all the people in my community who don’t know the Lord and all those who if they were just invited to the banquet would love to come! I also began thinking about the religious leaders who gave the excuses and I wondered am I one of them? Do I think that I will be sitting at the great banquet and all the people that bother me and the ones I don’t love will not? Do I neglect to invite and share God’s love with those who are far from God?

            If we are children of God we should love those who don’t know God and those who are far from Him. If not, then I’d have to ask, are you a child of God? The children of God have a passion after His own heart. So why don’t we have heart for the lost? God’s greatest passion is to find the lost sheep, the lost coin, the prodigal son, those who are furthest from Him; those are who He has the greatest compassion for!

            So as I read this parable I asked myself, Sean, do you believe there are people here in the Antelope Valley who I should be sharing God’s love and grace with but instead I turn them away because I think they are not worthy? Wow, this hurt. I really had to stop and examine my heart. I think there are times when I am no better than those religious leaders. But as a son and child of God, my heart must be after His heart, after the same things He is passionate about.

            This past Sunday I challenged our young adults group with the question, who’s on your list? Who’s the one person that the Holy Spirit might put on your heart to go out and share His grace and compassion with? Who’s the one person that might simply need to be invited to the feast? Maybe it’ll take some convincing, but once they come and experience the Father’s love; their lives will be forever transformed.

            So I pose the question to my readers. Who’s on your list? Who is the person that God might be putting on your heart, the one that might be considered so far from God, the one who doesn’t deserve to be at the banquet, who’s that one that you are willing to reach out and love? Who’s on your list?

Leadership Lesson of the week: As leaders we are to disciple and empower others to be more fully who God has created them to be. Take time this week to pour into one other person and encourage them to reach out to another as well.