Pure Priority

Loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, every day, no matter what major project is in front of us, regardless if we feel like it or not, this is the second most important command that Jesus has given us.

As the Middle East trip looms larger in my vision, the Lord seems to be quickening this truth to me. There is so much preparation, physically, spiritually, and logistically that needs to happen to effectively prepare. Yet amidst the sea of preparation He is showing me to never forget to show love to the sheep that are around me 'today'. What comes to me is that if we persistently dream of feeding the Lord's sheep tomorrow, with excuses of, 'when I have more funds; when I have more time; or when I'm in a healthy state of mind then I'll be able to give to others', that tomorrow may never come. The result could very well be that some of Jesus' sheep are left hungry. Perhaps our divine purpose for that particular chapter in our lives was to be a provider for a lonely sheep that no one else loved?

Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. He then said each time, 'then feed My sheep'. Regardless of where we are at in life, I think that this is a beneficial truth to meditate on. When it comes down to it, what is Jesus mostly concerned about? Our jobs, ministries, pleasures; or the lonely, forgotten, unloved, and lost sheep out there who are bleating to Him in their own way, asking for a miracle. I think Jesus' heart is to send them a miracle, and that 'gift' frequently takes the shape of a man or woman who has been equipped to share His manifest love with those who are in dire need.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do, I'm speaking for myself, is to look outside of ourselves in order to bring genuine love to those who are around us every day. They are out there, in groves of hundreds and thousands; and whether they know it or not, their inner beings are crying out for healing and deliverance and saving from anyone that will listen.