B12 I Love Them
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B12 I Love Them
(Turn the English subtitles on in the video!)
Today I have one very strange principle for you, it’s about how I „get“ my Georges to my Bible reading: I LOVE THEM!
You heard right; I love them! I come to them with this attitude, I look forward to meeting them, I like to see them, and I appreciate them. Really! And they know I love them! I show all this to them continuously and openly with my words and my actions. Sometimes they don’t know what to do with my expressions. There are not many people around them who would purposefully care about what they are doing well or what their potential is. And there are even less people around them who would encourage and inspire them.
Lord Jesus was so close to the people of His days that He was called the „Friend of Sinners.“ (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34) Although he clearly rejected sin His “holiness” was not arrogant; it was not condemning. On the contrary, it was filled with extremely attractive compassion and interest.
Who do our acquaintances, who do not know Jesus personally yet, take us for? For strange moralists? For religious snobs and hypocrites? Or for inspiring friends? I need to say, I didn’t always have this attitude to unbelievers. I had to learn this too! And it was hard enough! Especially in my youth, I was in an environment that condemned unbelievers, so I had to consciously break away from that critical setting. Jesus did an amazing job in my heart. He showed me that He loves them! That He serves them whether they accept Him or not.
Today the value of those people to me is bigger
than my fear of being rejected by them.
If they reject me, I won’t lose anything. But if I reach them for Jesus, they get a life of a different quality that reaches infinitely to eternity. Yes, the value of those people to me today is bigger than my fear of being rejected by them. And they feel that.
„For a long time, I have not been with someone who would listen to me so carefully and with such a real interest!“ Jirka once told me; a month later he invited Jesus into his life.
Jesus looks at Simon Peter, who is still lost at that time, and tells him, „You will be the Rock – Peter!“ Jesus sees more than just the momentary reality of the bothersome windbag. And with that perspective, he invites Peter to follow Him. I am learning this from my Friend Jesus. I come to my club and look at those people – with endearment! They are beautiful to me and with huge potential.
Please understand that the words I say to them are not most important – it’s the attitude I have inside, a belief in them. This is the attitude I express to them through my interest, listening, asking questions, occasionally in my own words, inviting them to Discovery, sharing my story of how I invited Jesus into my life, and also telling them how they themselves can invite Him into their lives. Some of them have not experienced the attitude I openly openly show towards them, neither from their parents, nor at school, nor in a group of friends. Moreover, for most of them, I am probably the first and so far the only touch of Jesus.
When I’m with them for a while, I leave inspired. I watch them, I listen, I ask and then I think about them for two more days. I look for ways into their hearts and I also pray for them by their name, for the specific things they have told me, and above all for Jesus to open their hearts to Him. (The interviews with them are the source of stimuli for me which I later post on my website Rozměr navíc.cz – „Extra dimension“ – Have a look there!)
Lord Jesus, your example is fascinating to me. You love my friends much more than I can by imitating You… Thank you for loving me too, even long before I started looking for You.