Sunday, January 1, 2012

Kingdom Eyes

This morning at church the speaker spoke about "kingdom eyes" Kingdom eyes: seeing everything, everyone in a bigger picture. Seeing people through an eternal lens, the way Jesus does. I just want you to soak that in for a minute or two.

One question that really stood out to me was this: When was the last time you interacted with someone and wondered about their spiritual condition? Jesus sees us as sheep without a shepherd. Most of the time when I see people I tend to categorize them in two ways: nice or mean. ha...pretty shallow considering I claim to be a follower of Christ. I hardly ever wonder if they actually know Jesus or if they are going to spend eternity in heaven or hell. I hardly ever wonder if they know the shepherd. That then leads to justification. I have fell victim to this for...forever. If someone says a mean thing about me or judges me or worse, I usually think to myself, "You don't even know my story. You have no idea what I have been through." Instead I need to practice grace...Not only do I need to practice it, they need us to practice it. Maybe the only reason they act like that is because they don't know our Jesus. They don't know the hope, the joy, the love that is waiting for them. When I come back with an answer like that, I am showing Chelsea not Jesus. I'm seeing through Chelsea eyes instead of Kingdom eyes.

Jesus said in Matthew that the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. The harvest is here. I am a worker. You are a worker. Change your focus. Choose compassion over exhaustion. Grace over judgment. Open your heart to kindness and plant those seeds that you sometimes would rather not because let's face it...Forever is a long time and I want to do all I can for the kingdom while I am here. I want to be used and emptied and filled until my very last breath because that is what He did for me. He sees me as a sheep without a shepherd and he had compassion on my ugly soul and took me in no matter what I had done and still continue to do daily. And now that He took me in, He doesn't leave. Shepherds do not leave their sheep, they take care of them. So know that as you go out and love like Jesus that He is there with you, holding your heart and wiping your teary eyes. Because it will take sacrifice, tears, and heartache I'm so sure of it. But it will bless His name. In all that I do, all that I am, all that I will be I just want people to see Jesus. So in order for that to happen, I have to see Jesus in everyone and everything around me.


Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, praching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed nad helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest fields." Matthew 9:35-38