A Life with Impact - See as Jesus saw

For each of us there have been individuals in our past and in the present who have had an impact on our lives. Some have impacted our lives in ways we had never imagined, and some in ways we will never ever forget. The impact may have been or currently is in small ways, some in large ways. Some of the impact has been negative, some positive.   

The impact on our lives by others has helped shape us into who we are and who we will become. We too have the opportunity to impact the lives of others. We have to choose what kind of impact we will have; will it be negative or will it be positive? Will the impact be centered on pointing others to the world or to Christ?   

Each of us who loves Jesus, should have a passion to make a positive difference, to have an impact for Christ. But sometimes we are so focused on doing we forget about being Christ to others. Often we see so many needs and opportunities to demonstrate Christ that we don’t know where to begin!   

In Matthew 9:35-38 we read

 "Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, 'The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.

In this passage we find four things we need to do to live like Jesus.

1. See as Jesus Saw (vs. 35-37)

Each and every moment our eyes are open, they take in the sights around us. Around us are so many things to see. Things that are big, things that are small. Things that are pleasant to see, but also things which are difficult to see. We see flowers and blue sky. We see people. People with smiling faces tell a story of joy and happiness. We see sad faces. Sad faces tell a story of difficult circumstances and of pain, whether emotional or physical. We see people who, due to some circumstance or physical condition, have been forced to live “on the street.” How do we see the world around us? How do we see the people around us? Jesus is our example in how we should “see”. 

God wants us to see as Christ saw. 

³⁵  Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching 

           the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the 

           people.

³⁶  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they

            were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

³⁷  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few."

Jesus saw the multitudes, but what did He really see?

-        In vs. 35, He saw hurting people, people who needed help, people who needed Him.

-        Then in vs. 36, Jesus saw people who were "weary" or "fainted" in the KJV. They were weary,             exhausted, worn out and despondent. The root word picture is something melting or    dissolving.

-        In vs. 36, Jesus also saw people scattered, like sheep without a shepherd. The word picture for "scattered" is sudden motion. It's talking about people suddenly tossed around or thrown         to the ground by a heartless and powerful enemy.

-        Rick Crandall, a pastor, put this way when talking about this: "Jesus saw people led in all the wrong directions by blind guides . . . Jesus saw people without Him, sheep without a shepherd, people with no protection from the powers of hell, people with no protection, and no real direction in life."   

-        

     What did Jesus see? -- In vs. 37, Jesus saw people as a great harvest. A great harvest made up of        men, women and children of every age and nation. People are the most important fruit of the earth, and someone is eventually going to reap this harvest.  A harvest, as Rick Crandall has said, in whilch:

o   People are going to be won either for good or for evil. They are going to live in darkness, or they are going to be brought to the light. They will come to see the greatness of living with God, or they will live under the reign of the devil.

o   People will live out their days in the heights of joy of hope and faith found in Christ, or they will feel discouraged in the depths of despair and frustration. To put it in the barest o   terms, the harvest of mankind is a matter of heaven or hell.  

Mark 8:18, Jesus said: “Do you have eyes but fail to see, . . . “

When Jesus looked at the crowds, He didn’t just see a clamoring group of people who were about to demand even more of His time and energy. He looked beyond the surface and realized they were spiritually depressed and downcast. They had a spiritual hunger, and He offered to satisfy it. When you look out at the world, Uganda, you community, your family — what do you see? Is it people who are you don’t get along with, people who have let you down, people who have not demonstrated love to you,  or is it individuals who have been created in the image of Christ, one who deserved to be loved by you?  Ask the Lord to help you see the world as He sees it.