Needy Hearts Notice Needy Hearts.
Needy Hearts Notice Needy Hearts.
This may be one of the most impactful things that I've learned in the last 10 years. The world that we live in demands that we put our best foot forward. We're always on our game. We never admit or portray weakness. All lies. Ahhh. But Jesus actually values us embracing weakness and neediness as pathways to glory. His glory. Experiencing His glory smack dab in the middle of absolute need. It's actually His brilliant design. We're designed to need Him and He doesn't disappoint, even when it seems that He does. In the end, the "I'm really needy, Jesus loves my type" combo really matches up well together. Are you sure that Jesus really values needy people? Blessed are the poor in Spirit", He says.
In the bible book of Luke chapter 10 verses 25 through 37 is the story about sacrificial love and needy hearts. A man gets ruthlessly beat up and left for dead. Two logical candidates to help the left for dead man both steer clear as they walk along the road. One not so logical candidate to help the left for dead man is a man from the left for dead man's rival gang. The rival gang member "stands with" rather than "steers clear". I think it's really hard to notice other people unless you notice how needy your own heart is first. This seems to be the birthing place of compassion in a heart. It's from God.
As the rival gang member shows sacrificial love to the left for dead man, I notice past, present and future love. He loves him in the present as he stops and notices his need, binds up his wounds with oil and wine, puts him on his animal and carries him to a motel and takes care of him (verse 34). He loves him in the future as he gives the innkeeper some money to use for his ongoing care in the days while he is gone (verse 35). He loves him in the past because he plans to return to where this noticing started and pay the innkeeper for any further expense that might have been incurred while he was gone (verse 35).
It was Jesus that told this story. It was a humbling, beautiful story for Him to tell because it is the same sacrificial love that He offers to your needy heart and mine. He sacrificially loves you in the past. Before you were ever formed in your mother's womb, He knew you intimately. He sacrificially loves you in the future. He is preparing a place specifically for you in the new heaven and new earth where you will intimately get to be with Him forever. He sacrificially loves you in the present. You're literally at the moment of the reading of these words, swimming in the life altering flood of the sacrificial love of God poured profusely over your needy heart.
Your needy heart is lavishly welcomed by the sacrificial love of Jesus. He actually embraces your neediness as a valuable characteristic of your heart rather than despising it and casting you away because of it. And as you begin to notice and embrace Jesus, you begin to notice and embrace your needy heart and you begin to notice and embrace other needy hearts. Hold on a second. That actually sounds like it is actually really real.
Yep.
Sacrificial Love leads to needy hearts noticing needy hearts.
Yep. It's real.
There's more.