Let God’s Love Flow Through You 2

Devotional Reading: Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road. When he heard that it was Jesus from Nazareth, he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” Mark 10:46‭-‬47 CEV

We can start our day with every intention to love God and love others. We can even plan to do so, mapping out time with God and time to serve and love others. But we can also miss what God is doing in the moment when our focus is elsewhere.

I’ll be honest with you. Interruptions can frustrate me. I have a plan, I am focused on the task at hand, my time is organised for the day… then something happens to interrupt my schedule. I get a phone call, or suddenly there is a need that is urgent. And I will admit that patience and love has not always been my response (I’m just being real here)!

Yet when we look at the life of Jesus, so many of His encounters with people happened not out of a scheduled stop, but from apparent ‘interruptions’ in His journey. Jesus was often leaving a region after a day of ministry or passing through a town on His way to His intended destination. People called out to Him, even to the point of others telling them to be quiet, “Stop interrupting Jesus! He’s busy! He’s done His ministry for today! He needs to rest!”

But amidst the busyness and His intended journey, Jesus stopped. He listened. He responded. He stayed. He LOVED. Indescribable love sees the person, not the problem.

Perhaps Jesus’ equation was different to ours. Maybe Jesus saw interruptions not as frustrations, but as an opportunity to love people.

Prayer and Confession

Father, may I love more like Jesus when it comes to interruptions in my day.

Further Reading – John 15:12-17