#124 WHAT IS NEEDED 9-12-21
The lost need saving. The hurting need help. The righteous need encouragement.
Jesus did not come to make good people better. He came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). There are people all around us who are wandering in darkness, carrying guilt, confusion, addiction, bitterness, and brokenness. They may look fine on the outside, but their souls are starving. We must never become so comfortable in the church that we forget the people who are still searching for their way home.
The hurting need help. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Sometimes people do not need another lecture. They need somebody to sit beside them. They need somebody to listen. They need a phone call, a meal, a prayer, a hand on the shoulder, or simply someone who will not walk away when life gets hard. Jesus saw hurting people, and He had compassion on them (Matthew 9:36).
The righteous need encouragement. Even faithful people can become weary. Even strong Christians can have difficult days. Hebrews 10:24–25 tells us to consider one another “in order to stir up love and good works,” and not to forsake assembling together. Sometimes the person encouraging everybody else needs somebody to encourage them. “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
That is what the church ought to be—a place where the lost can hear the gospel, the broken can find compassion, and the faithful can find strength. We should not merely ask, “Who is coming to church?” We should ask, “Who needs Christ? Who is hurting? Who is discouraged? Who can I help today?”
There is somebody who needs saving. Somebody needs help. Somebody needs encouragement. And God may have placed us in their path for that very reason. “As we have opportunity, let us do good to all” (Galatians 6:10).
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Lord, make us people who notice the lost, help the hurting, and encourage the faithful. Give us eyes to see, hearts to care, and courage to act. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
BDD
