He would love first.

Ministering to empty seats has probably been my hardest moments during this quarantined time. I'm certainly not asking for pity. I am sharing because of the spiritual impact, this has made on me. I ask myself often, is this the way the Holy Spirit feels when we decide to go it alone? How does Jesus feel when we simply ignore His teachings, the cost He paid for our life, and the hurt we must bring Him when we turn our backs against Him? I want to connect. I want to touch the hurt, the isolation, the insecurities and uncertainties that people are experiencing. I try. But, I know I am failing. I can see inside the homes the chaos, the kids, the dog, the cat, the dishes, the laundry, the paper work, the cell phone all screaming, "Pay attention to me."  I am another voice vying for their attention. I know there are some who can and do focus. It is not that the others love less, it is that the boundaries are so blurred it's hard to find direction.

Last night I showed a clip of "Pilgrims Progress," the scene "Hill of Salvation." Right now there are several ways of viewing this for free. Pilgrim is following the Kings Road no matter how hard he found it to be, believing the King would give him strength. I pray that for all of us, we will make the commitment to keep going. Here is the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5siyqYn5Tv8

I have hope. I know that there are people on the other side of that white bulb and blue light. I have hope that the seats will be filled again with faces I love. This has caused me to reach out and share my faith more than ever. Knowing Jesus is looking at all of us, longing for us to turn our hearts as well as our faces toward Him; and His word.

I saw this picture, of one church that thought of a way to help the pastor out, and let him know he was loved and they were there with him; if not in person at least in spirit. Call me emotional if you will, but this brought tears to my eyes. People matter. They matter to the person, or people that love them. I get it. Jesus loves me. Do you know that? Jesus loves you more than you could ever love anyone. He wants to touch us right where we are. In our business and aloneness He stands ready with outstretched arms.

ACTION STEP: Whatever you are missing during this time, think about it from a heavenly perspective. Someone recently gave me a wristlet that has these letters, HWLF. We've all seen the ones that say WWJD. This (What Would Jesus Do?) wristlets are a great evangelistic tool. But, I like this one so much more, (He Would Love First). So, by faith--love first today! This is what Jesus would do. He would love first! During this time, when I look at empty seats I am reaching out to a faceless population that has yet to come to know Jesus. What would Jesus do? He would love first.