I Pick...You!

I long for the day that someone will come up to me before the worship service and say, "Pastor, you see that man that just came in the door? The one in the ragged clothes that looks like he hasn't bathed in weeks? Man, I have been working on him all week, and he finally came to Jesus." Please don't misunderstand. I am the pastor of a very loving, giving, ministering bunch of folks, but I have noticed that even in this context, Christians tend to be a little more selective as to whom they minister to. What I tend to hear most often is, "Pastor, have you made contact with John Doe this week? He would be a great asset to our church." Sadly, we want to focus on reaching those people who can do something for us. But Jesus said, "It isn't the healthy that needs a doctor. It's the sick" (Ben's paraphrase). My interpretation: Minister where the needs are. Don't ask what new members can do for your church; ask what you can do for people who are hurting. Isn't that what He meant by the parable of the Good Samaritan? Isn't that what He did during His days on the Earth? Sure, Jesus had wealthy friends that He ministered to -- but they were friends who came to the realization that they had just as big of a need as the lepers, the prostitutes, the poor, and the outcasts from Jewish society. The very people that we are so often fired-up about reaching are the ones Jesus spent very little time with. I'm just glad that in this game of life, God doesn't pick teams like we do: take the biggest, strongest, and fastest first, and then if there is room let the little guy play as long as he stays in deep right field. Instead, God looks at the world and says, "I pick...YOU!" Isn't that what John 3:16 says?