By Max Lucado
“Jesus touched lepers and loved foreigners and spent so much time with party goers that people called him a lush, a friend of the riffraff.”
Matthew 11:19 (MSG )
Labels… He’s an alcoholic! (Translation: Why can’t he control himself!)
She’s divorced! (Translation: She has a lot of baggage!)
Labels relieve us of responsibility. Pigeonholing permits us to wash our hands and leave.
Jesus took an entirely different approach. He was all about including people! John 1:14 says in plain language, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”
Racism couldn’t keep Jesus from the Samaritan woman. Demons couldn’t keep him from the demoniac. The Bible confirms that when the time came, Jesus set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave.
You and I are going to come across some discarded people. Tossed out. Sometimes by a church. And we get to choose.
Neglect or rescue? Label them or love them?
We know Jesus’ choice! Let’s follow his example!
You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/2012/04/11/ml_labels-and-pigeonholes/
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Max Lucado Daily: Everyday Blessings
Used by permission
To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
http://www.maxlucado.com/info/view/about_max_lucado/