How to Love Jesus More - The Crosswalk Devotional - February 12

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How to Love Jesus More
By Kelly Balarie

Bible Reading:
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”– Matthew 25:40 NIV

I knew I needed to turn around. I felt that little tug on my heart – the one that says to me, “Kelly, pay attention.” I knew what the tug was about too… Yes, I certainly saw that man on the corner of the road needing help, needing money. But no, in my rush to get where I was going, I did not stop. I passed him by. I kept on driving.

It’s never convenient to obey God; but it is always necessary to do so. So, I told the kids we had to delay our plans to get to their exciting destination. I made a U-turn and pulled up next to the man.

I struggled to get some money out of my wallet and then passed some dollar bills out the window to the homeless man. While doing this, I looked in his eyes and said a prayer, “May God richly supply all your needs…” 

Yet, as I said this, something hit me. It wasn’t the man’s smell, his dirty clothes, his scrubby face that caught my attention, but it was his eyes. They looked like Jesus’ eyes. Wow. I could see Jesus. In these eyes, humility, sympathy, meekness, love, and care that resembled what I would think Jesus’ eyes would look like. Wow. The eyes of this man revealed the heart of my God.

I was in awe.

I guess it's no wonder why we are told in Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Frankly, we get the opportunity to look at Jesus all the time. As we love the least of these. As we love the hurt, the sick, the traumatized, the mentally ill, the broken, the discouraged, the rejected, the widows, the alcoholics, the grieving – we truly love Jesus. Jesus is readily found in the eyes, in the words, in the wounds, in the embrace, in the thankfulness, in the hardship, in the humility of the least of these – if we have spiritual eyes to see whom we are really loving.

But, I wonder, are we willing to engage with the least of these? Are we willing to turn back around? To go out of our way for them? To give our best for someone that may not benefit our own life?

Love costs something, especially when it is for the least of these. Yet, for those willing to engage in it, it can give back precious moments of intimacy with God as we come to know Him more.

This does not come naturally. In a culture that exalts celebrity pastors, celebrates the big online voice, and cheers those doing big things, it can feel almost worthless to do what no one else is doing.

But for those willing to do it, by seeing the least of these, they will come to see Jesus.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Do you look beyond yourself in your world to see those who may be called “the least of these”? How might you begin to notice those God may be calling you to love? What would it look like for you to give sacrificially to these people?

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Tinnakorn Jorruang / EyeEm 


headshot of Kelly BalarieKelly uplifts believers with boosts of faith; be encouraged weekly by getting Kelly’s blog posts by email. Kelly, a cheerleader of faith, is a blogger, national speaker, and author of Take Every Thought Captive, Rest Now, Battle Ready, and Fear Fighting. Kelly loves seeing the power of prayer in action. She loves seeing the expression on women’s faces when they realize – their God is faithful! Kelly’s work has been featured on The Today Show, CBN’s 700 Club, Relevant and Today’s Christian Woman

Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com

Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

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Salem Radio Network Speakers

Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

Broadcasting from his home station of KRLA in Los Angeles, the Dennis Prager Show is heard across the country. Everything in life – from politics to religion to relationships – is grist for Dennis’ mill. If it’s interesting, if it affects your life, then Dennis will be talking about it – with passion, humor, insight and wisdom.

Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

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How to Love Jesus More - The Crosswalk Devotional - February 12

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

The Crosswalk Devotional updated banner logo

How to Love Jesus More
By Kelly Balarie

Bible Reading:
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”– Matthew 25:40 NIV

I knew I needed to turn around. I felt that little tug on my heart – the one that says to me, “Kelly, pay attention.” I knew what the tug was about too… Yes, I certainly saw that man on the corner of the road needing help, needing money. But no, in my rush to get where I was going, I did not stop. I passed him by. I kept on driving.

It’s never convenient to obey God; but it is always necessary to do so. So, I told the kids we had to delay our plans to get to their exciting destination. I made a U-turn and pulled up next to the man.

I struggled to get some money out of my wallet and then passed some dollar bills out the window to the homeless man. While doing this, I looked in his eyes and said a prayer, “May God richly supply all your needs…” 

Yet, as I said this, something hit me. It wasn’t the man’s smell, his dirty clothes, his scrubby face that caught my attention, but it was his eyes. They looked like Jesus’ eyes. Wow. I could see Jesus. In these eyes, humility, sympathy, meekness, love, and care that resembled what I would think Jesus’ eyes would look like. Wow. The eyes of this man revealed the heart of my God.

I was in awe.

I guess it's no wonder why we are told in Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Frankly, we get the opportunity to look at Jesus all the time. As we love the least of these. As we love the hurt, the sick, the traumatized, the mentally ill, the broken, the discouraged, the rejected, the widows, the alcoholics, the grieving – we truly love Jesus. Jesus is readily found in the eyes, in the words, in the wounds, in the embrace, in the thankfulness, in the hardship, in the humility of the least of these – if we have spiritual eyes to see whom we are really loving.

But, I wonder, are we willing to engage with the least of these? Are we willing to turn back around? To go out of our way for them? To give our best for someone that may not benefit our own life?

Love costs something, especially when it is for the least of these. Yet, for those willing to engage in it, it can give back precious moments of intimacy with God as we come to know Him more.

This does not come naturally. In a culture that exalts celebrity pastors, celebrates the big online voice, and cheers those doing big things, it can feel almost worthless to do what no one else is doing.

But for those willing to do it, by seeing the least of these, they will come to see Jesus.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Do you look beyond yourself in your world to see those who may be called “the least of these”? How might you begin to notice those God may be calling you to love? What would it look like for you to give sacrificially to these people?

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Tinnakorn Jorruang / EyeEm 


headshot of Kelly BalarieKelly uplifts believers with boosts of faith; be encouraged weekly by getting Kelly’s blog posts by email. Kelly, a cheerleader of faith, is a blogger, national speaker, and author of Take Every Thought Captive, Rest Now, Battle Ready, and Fear Fighting. Kelly loves seeing the power of prayer in action. She loves seeing the expression on women’s faces when they realize – their God is faithful! Kelly’s work has been featured on The Today Show, CBN’s 700 Club, Relevant and Today’s Christian Woman

Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com

Listen to the Jesus Calling Podcast!

Welcome to this special bonus episode of the Jesus Calling Podcast, inspired by the topical themes from Sarah Young’s seasonal prayer devotional Jesus Listens: Prayers for Every Season. Today, we are featuring guests who speak to themes that all of us might be experiencing in this season of winter. As the days grow shorter and the night longer, we are offered a rare gift: permission to stop. This season can be a challenging time for many, and if you are struggling with low spirits, please know you are not alone, and help is available. This episode is an opportunity to honor your weariness, to resist the urge to rush, and to discover the profound healing that happens when we simply let ourselves rest in the stillness. If you like what you hear, be sure to follow Jesus Calling on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!

 

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