29Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. 31The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. 32Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” (Matthew 15:29 – 32)
Yesterday we considered the first of three concepts that can help us maintain the right focus when we serve others. Today, we consider the second concept: Seeing things the way Jesus does.
Seeing Things the Way Jesus Does
If we are going to serve others in a way that gives God glory I am convinced that we have to see the world the way Jesus sees it. I suspect that I speak for many of us when I say that in our most cynical moments we see all beggars as scam artists, we see those down on their luck as lazy, and we see appeals for help as unnecessary intrusions into our ordered existence. Sometimes our assessments might be right but I wonder how many times we get things wrong and miss the opportunity to serve. Jesus sees the world through eyes of love and compassion. There are so many stories in the Bible that illustrate His passion for people. So, the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 2:6 to have the same mindset as Jesus, and then goes on in verse 7 to say that Jesus took on the very nature of a servant.
Please prayerfully read the passage above, paying particular attention to how Jesus viewed the crowd, and then answer the question below.
Question:
How well tuned are you to the needs of those around you – do you have the mindset of a servant?