Sinner Friendly

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“When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume.”

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  Luke 7:37

It is wonderful how genuine goodness draws to itself the troubled, the friendless, the outcast, and the fallen. Wherever Jesus went, these found him out and gathered about him. It was because he was the true friend of all men. They found authentic love in him.

Though he was sinless there was yet no superiority about him. He was just as gentle to an outcast sinner as to a spotless Nicodemus. And it didn’t matter who was reaching out for Him.

One of the truest things ever said of Jesus was the prophetic word concerning Him, “A bruised reed shall he not break.” He is always most gentle with sore spirits and bruised hearts.

He has a love that always concerns you.

Those who want to be useful in this world must have the same qualities. There is a kind of human “holiness” that draws nobody to itself, but rather repels; genuine holiness, however, wins its way everywhere into men’s hearts.

• If we stay in this world to be served, we shall be of no manner of use. But if we live to minister to others, serving every one we meet, our life will be worth it. The hungry-hearted and the soul-needy will be drawn to us, and God will love to put work into our hands.

We need, too, to train ourselves to exceeding gentleness in dealing with human souls in their spiritual crises. Many earnest people, in the excess of their zeal, so incalculable harm to those whom they greatly desire to help. People with sore and bruised hearts usually need loving sympathy and strong, kindly friendship much more than they need theology. –JR Miller

‘Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!’ 

Luke 7:34

“A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.” 

–A.W. Tozer