Meeting Them Where They Are...

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.' "But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." ~Luke 19:1-10

What an awesome thought.  Jesus comes to meet us where we are.  Through his love and grace He calls us from our perches to come walk with Him.  Jesus knew Zacchaeus was a tax collector, He knew where he lived and He went to Zacchaeus' home to meet with him.  He reminded him of his destiny and his place by stating the obvious, He called him 'a son of Abraham'.

During the entirety of Jesus' ministry He always sought out the lost.  Then through His love, they were drawn to Him.  Jesus wasn't a preacher on some high pulpit demanding that people come to Him.  He walked among the sinners, He wanted them to feel His love because it's only in that love that they were willing to drink of the Living Waters that He alone possessed.  Jesus isn't a man of condemnation, but of a love so strong that people began to examine themselves through His eyes.  He spoke blessing to them, with a love and a mercy that no one else could conjure up on their best day.

I love the story of the woman at the well.  Jesus went into a land that was not somewhere that Jews would have been caught dead.  He had a mission to free a woman from the bondage that had held her the entirety of her life.  He asked her to be truthful with Him about her lifestyle and when she was, He was able to administer a double dose of grace and mercy which changed her heart.  Even in a land void of the inheritance of Abraham, she knew of the Savior to come.  He met her at the well, knowing that she would be there and that she was searching for healing through her hurts.  He walked out of His way to meet with her.  He sought her out on her own terms and left her a new creation.

So often we want to sit in judgement of others especially of where they are in their journey to reconciliation.  Reconciliation takes a lifetime, if your receiver of love has been broken.  There is no way to force feed people any faster, as you try, their usual reaction is to push you away as they gag on the judgement that you are laying on them.  There is a moment in time when they have submitted to the Lord, and the Lord has met with them, the love of Jesus, the mercy and grace has to filter through every fiber of their being.  If they have been abused or neglected there are a lot of dark places that can take longer for that mercy and grace to filter into.  It doesn't mean that they aren't saved, it doesn't mean that they are lying awake at night praying for the grace and mercy, it may be as simple as they are processing at their own speed and that may not be the same speed as the person who is trying to minister to them.  Their need for ministry, their need to be fed may not be as great as the need of the one giving it.  A lot of people define themselves by the amount of ministry they can pour out.  In trying to live in holiness, to ease their own pain and shame, what they really do is bring more condemnation on the others around them.

People live in enough condemnation without us adding to it.  The Holy Spirit through love, grace and mercy brings a conviction to change.  It is out of knowing and coming to that understanding that people begin to reconcile with the Word of God.  Not through our battery.  We don't need to beat people us with our holiness.  We need to wrap them in our arms and remind them over and over again of the love of Jesus.  It is what spurred us on.  We don't need to be pharisees teaching law, we need to be the donkey that carried a loving sacrificial Jesus into their lives. Love them like Jesus, not beat them down like Satan.



Lord, let us meet people where they are.  Let us be willing to walk out of our own safety and learn to live a life that reflects You.  Let us not point fingers, let us not hold onto our way so tightly that we can't meet someone where they are.  Lord rescue us from ourselves so that we can be free to go share our testimonies and your love with others around us.  It is through you alone that people can enter into the gates of heaven.  Let us not assume that we  have it all figured out.  Enable us to get out of the way so that others around us don't see us, but see You. Let us live a life of sacrifice, so that the ones that we love will be drawn and not bullied into your kingdom.
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