Lift Them!

'...Jesus stooped down...'

John 8:6

Remember the woman 'caught in the act' of adultery? The Pharisees stooped to pick up stones. Jesus stooped to pick her up. Which group are you in? You can't be choosy about who you help. Some of us think we should only help those who believe like we do. No. '...uphold the weak, be patient with all' (1 Thessalonians 5:14 NKJV).

There's a story about a guy who fell into a pit and couldn't get out. A subjective person came along and said, 'I feel for you down there.' An objective person came along and said, 'Well, it's logical somebody would fall down there.' A Pharisee said, 'Only bad people fall into pits.' A judgmental Christian said, 'You deserve your pit.' A realist said, 'Now that's a pit.' A geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit. A tax agent asked him if he was paying taxes on the pit. A self-pitying person said, 'You haven't seen anything until you've seen my pit.' An optimist said, 'Things could be worse.' A pessimist said, 'Things will get worse.' Jesus, seeing the guy in the pit, reached down, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.

Have you noticed how Jesus ends his famous parable about the Good Samaritan? '... "Go and do likewise"' (Luke 10:37 NKJV). You have power to affect the lives of those around you. Your encouragement can be the difference-maker in someone's day, week or even life, sending them in a whole new direction. But it's difficult to encourage people if you don't know what they need. So become a student of people. Learn what makes them tick, know what lifts them.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.