Love Them Like I Do

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." John 13:34 ESV

Good Morning Girlfriends:

When I was a little girl, we sang a song about Zacchaeus in the Bible and it went like this: Zacchaeus was a wee little man, and a wee little man was he. He climbed up in the sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see. As the Savior was passing that way he looked up in that tree and He said, "Zacchaeus you come down, for I'm coming to your house today." (Luke 19:3-5)

Zacchaeus was a well known person in those days, he was a tax collector and not very well liked, I suppose just like it is the same today. Hearing that Jesus wanted to visit with Zacchaeus, it had upset some people who who had a low opinion of him and probably were not thinking very nice thoughts about him, him being a tax collector who was always taking the people's money. Jesus was on a mission and He wasn't letting anyone deter Him from showing Zacchaeus kindness, and love that would transform his heart as Jesus took some time to share with Zacchaeus.

My thoughts always run back to Mary Magdalene, she was described to be one of the prostitutes in the Bible which was plagued with many demons. People would have called her all kinds of names, and said that she was unclean, not wanting anything to do with her as I'm sure they sneered at her as they passed by her. Jesus being the man He was, so full of love and compassion could see the desperation in her, crying out for help within herself, she was delivered from those spirits that were within her. Mary Magdalene could now say, "I was once one way, but now I'm different, what happened in between was Him. (Jesus)

Here is a quote I would like to share with you girlfriends, and let this be an eye opener to all of us. "You see a junkie, I see a daughter. You see a choice, I see a disease. You see hopeless, I see helpless. Don't hate the addict, hate the disease." Isn't this just like Jesus is speaking through this. Girlfriends, you see, before we ever make an attempt to judge someone by their addiction or the way they look, we need to ask ourselves the question, "why are they hurting," we just might see them differently.

Jesus, time and time again knew who the people were and what they were doing, but He looked past that and showed love and kindness in order for them to be transformed into the new person He knew they could be. Some of us are already there, the addicts, the prostitutes, the gamblers, the food addicts, the gossipers, the people with judgmental spirits are not there yet, maybe because they haven't met Jesus yet. So how do they meet our precious Jesus, we take Him to them and show all the love, kindness and compassion that we can so that they too will have their own experience with the one that changes everything and His name is called "JESUS."

What a testimony for every person to be able to say, "I was once one way, but now I'm different, what happened in between was Him, Jesus!" Amen! The Cross equals Love!

Let's Pray,

Father God, I thank You for this wonderful day that I can share You. Lord, I praise You and thank You for who You are and what You have done in my life. I thank You for every opportunity that I have so that I can share You. Lord, I lift up to You, all of the people who has not yet had that same wonderful encounter with the one and only who can turn things around and change lives. Lord, in faith believing, I'm asking that You would visit each one of them and make Your mighty presence known in a most powerful way, that when they are out in public, they too can say they were once one way and now they are different, and what happened in between was Jesus. That is so powerful and I thank You Lord in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

Be blessed and pass the blessings on. Share this message in hopes that it will bless others as well.