Many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His
disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him. Mark 2:15
A letter from a friend described the adjustments that his son and daughter-in-law were
facing as young missionaries in a country long resistant to the gospel of Christ.
"After some rough early going," he wrote, "they are getting used to not
having modern conveniences and are falling in love with the people."
A photo showed the couple's 2-year-old-son Wesley and a waiter in a restaurant, both
grinning widely as they shared a moment of friendship. My friend commented, "Ever
smiling, Wesley makes friends wherever he goes." That got me to thinking. Making
friends and loving people is the key to sharing the gospel wherever we are, because that's
what Jesus did.
Some religious leaders were surprised when Jesus openly associated with people they
considered undesirable. They said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and
drinks with tax collectors and sinners?" (Mark 2:16). Yet Jesus was known as the
friend of sinners. He said, "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to
repentance" (v.17).
A loving heart and a friendly smile go a long way to communicate the love of Christ to the
people we meet each day. May they say of us, as they did of little Wesley, "Ever
smiling, he makes friends wherever he goes."
-DCM
To the lost is where Christ went,
Revealing grace from God above;
To lost sinners we've been sent
To be their friends, to share God's love.
-Fitzhugh
Loving the lost is the first step in leading them to Christ.