Nobody's the same

“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” John 10:14

One of the things we see throughout the Gospels is the way Jesus dealt with individuals. It's worth noting that Jesus never dealt with any two people in exactly the same way.

What would you think of a Doctor who gave the same prescription to every patient? To the person comes in with a broken arm, he says, “Take two aspirin.” To someone else who comes in with another kind of a problem, he says, “Take two aspirin.” You would be thinking, This guy is not taking the time to find out what the real needs of his patients are. The Great Physician, Jesus Christ, never treated any two people the same way. He dealt with them individually.

Consider how differently Jesus treated Peter, Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael when they first became His disciples (see John 1:35–47). This reminds us that not everyone comes to Jesus in exactly the same way.

Perhaps you've heard the testimonies of people from different backgrounds who came to faith. When it comes to the bottom line, here is what you find. Whether someone was a drug addict or a straight-A student, whether a person was a gang member or a member of the cheerleading squad, and whether he or she did everything right or everything wrong, the Bible still says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We were all on our way to hell. We all needed to come to Jesus through the cross.

However it was that we came to Him, He dealt with our sin. God knew our real needs, and He did a wonderful work in our lives. Remember, we all have more in common than we realize.

Praying for more understanding
Pastor Mike

Second Notice

A taxpayer received a strongly worded "second notice" that his taxes were overdue. Hastening to the collector's office, he paid his bill, saying apologetically that he had overlooked the first notice.

"Oh," confided the collector with a smile, "we don't send out first notices. We have found that the second notices are more effective."