[20:20 Vision] TriangleSample

  

Truly Love People 

The third side of our triangle, the base, is to truly LOVE people. When we move too fast and do not have the right pace and the right perspective, we do not share the love of Jesus with others. Truly loving people is not a social skill or part of our “doing the right thing” list. It comes from having the right pace, the right perspective, and a focus on the cross of Jesus Christ. Only then do we have the time to love people. Do you ever feel you do not have time to love people?

If the cross of Christ is the heartbeat of our life, our pace is a Sabbath pace, and our perspective is a heavenly perspective, we will be able to say, “I want to love people.” We will stop seeing our kids as a burden, our marriage as a hassle, and our neighbors as nuisances. We will get rid of the sign that says, “People, stay away.” When our pace and perspective change, we think about the unreached, want to be with them, and want to share Christ with them. We want to serve and love people because we have the emotional energy to share the love of Christ with them. 

Jude 1:20–23 talks about building meaningful relationships. A meaningful relationship is healthy, caring, long-lasting, and indispensable. It is a person who helps us grow, supports, and encourages us, and is there for us when we need them. That’s what it means to have a meaningful relationship. Some experts say loneliness has the same effect on our health as having really bad habits. Loneliness is tough. We need meaningful relationships. We need to connect.

An anonymous poem says, “I went out to find a friend, but could find none there. I went out to be a friend and I found friends everywhere.” We need to cultivate meaningful relationships in our life, serving and sharing with our friends, celebrating what God is doing and how He is doing it. If we have the right pace and perspective in life, and Jesus Christ is our heartbeat, at the center of our triangle, then we are going to be able to make a difference in people’s lives, by truly loving them.

Thought of the day: Pick one person you could share Christ with. Who is your one? Are you loving them? Are you praying for them, sharing with them, and giving them an opportunity? Let your pace, perspective, and focus on the cross of Jesus Christ bring about true love for others. 

For more information regarding this devotional please follow this link:  https://houstonsfirst.org/message/2020-vision-triangle