Matthew 9:36 (The Message)

“When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused

and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.”

I love this passage because its speaks of the heart of God. I think in the midst of doing so much for God, we have lost the heart of God. We are so busy in our ministry and so busy working that we forget to have compassion for the people we claim we minister. Jesus had a pretty busy itinerary. He was going from town to town preaching and teaching the good news of the Kingdom, healing and delivering people. Seems like a pretty busy man. But yet, He still had time to look at the people He was ministering to and saw them not as a number on a church roster or mere objects. He saw the hurting, the confused, the helpless, the faithless, the desperate, the hungry, the needy, etc. He saw them all and His heart broke.

When was the last time your heart broke for someone? Did it last more than a Sunday service? When was the last time you actually listened to someone, really listen to their life story. You know that there are some people who just want to be heard. There are people who want to release all their pain and suffering and have no one to really be there for them. It is our job Church to be there for those people. Because if we are not there, then drugs and alcohol, addictions, and false religion will be there for them. We are so caught up in our little world and our little problems that we tend to ignore those who are hurting. When was the last time you actually spoke to someone who hasn’t been to a service in a while and really paid attention to what they had to say? I mean sometimes we just push people away and think the worst of them because they didn’t show up to a service.

Jesus really cared for those He ministered. I know you want to do so much for God, but if the point of the Church is to edify and build up and keep those we win, why then do we turn our backs to certain people? I guess our frustration gets the best of us? When we don’t see an immediate change, we loose hope on that person. But you see, when you have God’s heart, you see everyone with His eyes. Our problem is that we tend to loose focus and loose contact with His heart. Let me make a suggestion to you: begin talking to those who look alienated from the pack. Look around for those people that are shy and timid. Try making new friends. Allow people into your inner circle. We all have been in places where we have felt out of place, lets not let our guest feel like the same way. Reach out to someone, whether they are new or old. People want to be heard. Allow your heart to be broken again.

Filed under: Devotionals, Reflections by Adilson Chacón