Love the Lost

A second area of growth in love is love for the lost. A wealthy young man once came to Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. The young man assumed he was in fairly good standing because he had tried to keep the Ten Commandments. But after he asserted this, "Jesus looking at him," reports Mark 10:21, "loved him, and said to him, 'One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me'" (emphasis added). In showing love to this man, Jesus did not compromise His message. He made it unmistakable that to have eternal life the man must forsake his god (that is, his possessions) and put Christ first. Although there is no indication that the man became Jesus' disciple, Jesus loved him nonetheless. The more we are like Jesus, the more we manifest the fruit of the Spirit and the more loving we will be to everyone, including those who are cold to the things of God. Jesus said we are even to love our enemies, and not just those who love us (Luke 6:27,32). - Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health by Donald S. Whitney