Loving Jesus..

:) I'm sitting here on this LOVELY saturday morning with my window open, and the fresh air is blowing in on me! Just reading through a little bit of 'Crazy Love' by Francis Chan, and I found a good focal point for today. He's talking about Matthew 25:42-43

"For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."
(vs 45.) "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do to me."

This passage is one that I'm familiar with, but I'm used to hearing the positive side of this passage in Matthew 25.. the one right before these verses that is talking about the 'least of these' that we DID help. So when I read verses 42-43 & 45 out of the book, I was thrown off and I looked in my Bible to prove their existence. No doubt, these verse are in there! So why have I never thought about them, most of the time I'm only thinking about the few things that I did do for the least of these, rather than the hundreds/thousands of things I don't do for them on a daily basis. These verses hit me right where I needed it today..

So, Francis goes on and asks this question, "How would my life change if I actually thought of each person I came into contact with as Christ?" I'm not sure the exact intent he meant with this statement, but to me it is asking: what if I saw the face of Christ in every person I came in contact with? Would I treat people/serve people differently if I was really seeing it as myself serving Christ? I think I would. I know I would! From the way I live- quick to anger, easily annoyed, impatient, etc- it is obvious that I'm not serving others with the mindset that I'm actually serving God.

1 John 2:6 says, "Whoever claims to live in him(God) must walk as Jesus did." Jesus went as far as to die for us, just to save/serve us and give us the opportunity to have a relationship with God.

God, I pray that today I would TRULY live to serve You, in the face of those around me. While it is a sacrifice at times, You are beyond worth it. Help me to aim to live like Jesus did, and to make today count for something that's Eternal. Amen! :))