This Is Hopeಮಾದರಿ

Day 5: People as Our Passion

Theodore Roosevelt once said “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. In a world saturated with opinions, noise and content, what often matters isn’t how much we know, but how deeply we love.

We all live in a chaotic, busy and hurried world, where it is easy to become absorbed in our own needs and struggles.While we are preoccupied with our own lives, we may overlook someone nearby who is longing to be seen and hoping to be known. Maybe in pain, confusion or simply in need of a friend or a kind word. And we are the ones Christ sends.

As the church, we are not a “holy club” for the already convinced, but a people set apart – called not only to gather, but to go. As those who have first received Christ’s mercy, we are now entrusted with His message: to carry the hope of the Gospel into a world aching for love.

Sharing the Gospel doesn’t always look like preaching from a stage. More often,it takes the form of showing up with love, compassion and grace. Sometimes it looks like listening—truly listening. Sometimes it’s a shared meal, a steady friendship or a quiet act of kindness that flows from a heart moved by God.

The Gospel is not only to be spoken of, it is to be embodied – through the ways we love others, view their worth through the lens of God, and carry Christ’s compassion into the ordinary spaces. In John 13:35, Jesus said “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” The kind of love He models crosses divides, embraces inconvenience and even loves enemies. As we draw near to God, we will discover that His heart beats for people – and so should ours. People were the reason Jesus came. And people are the reason He sends us out.

As the Holy Spirit attunes our hearts to see as God sees and to love as He loves, may we as His Church, preach the Gospel boldly when He leads us to do so. Beyond that, may we also preach the Gospel quietly and consistently with the way we live our lives. That when others look to the Church, they may catch a glimpse of the Good Shepherd who would leave the ninety-nine for the one (Luke 15:3-7) and the Good News He brings – “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:13)

Pray and reflect:

• Have you grown weary of loving others? Take some time to ask God to refresh and renew your heart.
• What does it look like to be “sent” today, right where you are? Pray and ask God for a passion for His people who are lost, hurting and in need of a Saviour.