It is a hard calling to follow Jesus. Not one of us is doing it perfectly.

     ‘Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack…” he said’.

Remember this story in Mark 10:21?  A rich young man is eager to assure Jesus he has kept all the commandments since he was a boy.  But Jesus sees he is lacking one thing.

     Sometimes I think we are eager to point out that ‘one thing’ that is lacking in the ‘Christianity’ of others.  Our judgments move so quickly, we miss the heart of Jesus.  Before Jesus spoke the words ‘one thing you lack...’, the scripture says ‘Jesus looked at him and loved him‘.

He loved him.

He did not shame him.

He loved him.

He did not shout out in ‘righteous’ anger.

 He loved him.  

He did not tell him he was an embarrassment or a ‘bad’ Christian.

He did not compare his perfect faith with the man’s lack of faith.

Before he opened his mouth: Jesus looked at him and loved him.

We are encouraged to restore each other in the spirit of

gentleness (Gal 6:1).  We are told to speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15).

     The young man struggled with following Jesus perfectly.  He was lacking one thing. I am lacking many!! Jesus is not ashamed of me while I wrestle.

He looks at me and loves me.

He calls me to look at others and love them in the areas they struggle too.

We are wildly imperfect in our loving others.  I am so thankful we are wildly loved by a perfect God.