TRUE FRIENDSHIP

Derived from devotion on “Mobilizing a Rescue Operation” by Josh McDowell

-CoNnEcT- Here’s a huge question to talk about : Do you know how you can spot the difference between Christians and non-Christians?

No, that isn’t the lead-in to a bad joke. The difference between Christians and no-Christians is really serious. But it isn’t totally obvious.

Big devil horns, for example, don’t stick out of the heads of non-Christians. And huge angel halos don’t circle the heads of Christians.

Lined up on a football bench, believers and unbelievers all wear the same uniform. Sitting at desks at school, they all just look like kids trying to get a good grade.

You probably know unbelievers who are just as nice, just as smart, and just as friendly as believers. But there’s still a difference. It’s huge. And it matters for all of eternity ...


-ReFlEcT- Read Matthew Chapter 9
Key Verse: Matthew 9:37
“The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few”

- Unbelievers are cut off from God and eternal life. That means they can’t stop sinning. They’re slaves to sin (see Ephesians 2:1-3).
- Believers have a friendship with God and the guarantee of eternal life. They have been rescued from there sin and now are part of God’s family (see Colossians 1:13).

Maybe you’ve heard “Non-Christians need to know Jesus” so many times the hugeness of that fact bounces off you. It’s really easy not to care when non-Christians can be so much like you.

But God hasn’t forgotten the difference. He aches for the millions and millions of people-possibly thousands just in your school and hometown- who don’t know him. He’s incredibly concerned for each one-so concerned, in fact, that he took the ultimate step for every student, mom, dad, and other person. He became a human being and gave his life for them.

This is serious business to God. He doesn’t want anyone to perish-to go to hell because he or she hasn’t asked his forgiveness (2 Peter 3:9). He died to rescue the lost, and his rescue operation didn’t stop at the Cross.

-DiReCt- God gives us the privilege being a rescuer along with him. There countless people in our world just waiting for someone to tell them about God’s unconditional love. So we want to tell as many people as we can that Jesus has come to set them free!

Always remember the calling God has placed in your hands, do his work and you will be blessed.

Matthew chapter 9 talks about the work that Jesus did when he was on earth. It talks about how he healed people because they believed and had faith in him.

Jesus did this because of the unconditional love that he has for all of us. He healed all these people to demonstrate and prove his love for them. He healed the paralytic (Mat. 9:1-8), He revived the dead girl, and healed the women with the issue of blood (Mat. 9:18-26), And he healed the blind and the mute (Mat. 9:27-34)…All because he loved them and because they had faith in them.

In Matthew 9:9-12 it also talks about how Matthew was called to follow Jesus and be a disciple. Just like he called Matthew to be a disciple, he is also calling us to be disciples. He wants us to tell our friends that are unbelievers about his son dying on the cross for us.

-Have you ever told someone about Jesus?
-What are some things you can do to help be a “laborer in the harvest field”---to help tell everyone about Jesus and His love for them?
-List all the people you know who may not have ever asked Jesus to be a part of their life.
-Take 5 minutes and pray for each of those people today.

Father, give us compassion for our non-Christian friends. Help us never to forget that they are lost without you. Show us how to share your love with them. Amen.