By Gary Woodall
What if you were raised in a situation where you had no real family or good influence in your life? Or perhaps you fell into the world and things of the world and found yourself on drugs, homeless, and hopeless. Would you want someone to show you a better way? If you were overtaken in a fault, would you want someone to help you work your way out of the pit you had fallen into?
The golden rule…it’s still golden after all these years…
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12 (NASB)
What if you found the truth (John 8:32), repented, turned from the world and the sinful life you were living to put on Christ in baptism? Would you want to have Christian friends who would help you get on your feet and help you stay on the narrow path leading home to God?
These people are all around us. If we are to evangelize the world around us, we will encounter and become brothers and sisters with some people we might not normally hang out with but are now fellow heirs of the promise. They, like us, will have faults and failures. They will need to get back up when they fall. It’s much easier, much more likely when they have those among us who have befriended them, welcomed them, taken them under their wing, and showed them the love of Christ. They may be a bit shy, a bit unsure how to relate to “church people” and a little tough to get to know. Realize that and try, try again to get to know them and help them in their new walk of life.
It’s our job to look to the needs of others, especially Christians (Gal. 6:10), to do what we can to welcome, embrace, help, encourage, and befriend that person when they come our way (Acts 2:44-45, Heb. 13:2, Eph. 2:10, Matt. 25:24-40). Determine today that you will do all in your power starting today to get out there and look out for those who might need you to reach out and pull them into fellowship. Do it and help them get to where they can do it too!