Heartbroken or Hateful?
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” ~ Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV)
Our church is starting a season of prayer in which we are asking God to give us direction for reaching our local communities for Christ. We want to make a difference for the Kingdom and need God to show us what to do. So, we’ve been praying, listening, and writing down the thoughts, Scriptures, songs, pictures, and ideas that come to mind as we sit before the Lord.
One of those Scriptures was Matthew 9:36-38. Jesus looked out at the crowds of unbelievers and had compassion for them. Rather than be disgusted by them, and rather than seeing them as the enemy, he was moved with love and saw them as sheep without a shepherd.
How often do we see non-Christians that way? I am a conservative Christian. I am conservative in just about every realm of life: theologically conservative, socially conservative, politically conservative, and fiscally conservative. I believe the Bible is God’s Word, traditional values are often better than so-called “progressive” ones, and small government is preferable to a bureaucratically bloated nanny state. And while I agree most often with conservative ideas, one thing bothers me about the conservative movement. Many conservative Christians are filled more with contempt than compassion for the lost. Jesus saw the lost and loved them. We often see the lost and despise them.
The problems we see in our society: unlimited access to abortion, widespread confusion about gender and sexuality, the high failure rate of marriages, the high percentage of couples living together without being married, the majority of children born to unmarried parents, and the outright lying of politicians at the highest levels of government—these problems should bother us. But I think the question God wants us to ponder is:
Are you heartbroken or hateful?
When we see the devastating effects sin has on individuals, families, and our nation, we should be heartbroken, not hateful. No one turns to God because God’s people hate them. I think the first step to reaching people for Christ is to repent. We often have a greater desire to save our nation than to save the lost. Let us repent and see unbelievers like Jesus did. And then, let’s go out in the fields and reap a harvest for Christ!
Hateful or heartbroken is a great question. It helps when I remember that while we’re all responsible, we’re also being acted upon by malevolent forces that want to influence our thoughts, beliefs and behaviors. But I still find myself praying, “create in me a clean heart, O God!” Blessings to you and your church.
I am also very much a conservative in everything. Hateful vs Heartbroken is one of the most difficult parts of my desire to become better Christian. I find it very difficult to find compassion for progressives and tend to lean more towards contempt.