Toward Grace
Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22
I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22
Bridget never learned to sing "Jesus Loves Me" when she was a little girl. Her parents, who divorced when she was six, never took her to church, not even on Christmas or Easter. Her grandparents never did either.
Bridget grew up in a small town. During her growing-up years she felt like a piece of furniture, moving from place to place. Eventually she left home and moved to the big city to find a new life for herself. She thought life there would be different from her life at home.
Bridget loves grunge music. She has several tattoos. She had her navel and her tongue pierced. She drinks Starbucks coffee six times a day. She works two part-time jobs to pay her bills. Last month she broke up with her boyfriend of four years.
Bridget knows no Christians.
There are people in our world who are very different from us. Imagine that Jesus tapped your shoulder and said to you, "I want you to tell Bridget about me." What would you do?
Following Jesus shifts our attention away from ourselves and toward people around us. Jesus calls us away from our personal comfort and toward service.
One way to reach the Bridgets of this world is to start a new church. That's what the apostle Paul did. Maybe we can too.
Father, move us away from ourselves and toward people who are different from us. Help us see the Bridgets of our lives as you do. Help us to show them your love. In Jesus, Amen.
About the author — Kevin Adams
Dr. Kevin Adams has served as a church planter/pastor in the Sacramento, California, area since 1991. He and his wife, Gerry, began Granite Springs Church in Lincoln, and this congregation has helped to nourish several other church plants. Kevin also serves as a director of the Sierra Leadership Network, a training program for new church leaders.
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