[Difference Makers] Diverse Dining Sample

Difference Makers Care Most About What God Thinks

Difference makers care what God thinks. They care more about what God thinks than they care about what people think. 

The Pharisees who were watching Jesus thought He was doing the wrong thing. They pulled the disciples aside to question them. But Jesus heard them. He told the Pharisees, “Look, those who are well do not need a doctor. The sick need a doctor.” Jesus did not care that the Pharisees did not like to see that He was dining with tax collectors and sinners. He cared more about doing God’s will than about looking holy and righteous in front of the Pharisees. 

It can be hard to tell others that you do not care what they think. We do care about it, and this is appropriate to a certain level. If you do not care about what people think, guess what? Newsflash: Nobody likes you. If you do not care what anybody thinks, then nobody likes you, because you have never really been polite, you have never sacrificed, you have never been nice. You do have to care about what people think to some level, but not to the point where others become your god. 

The commandments are in the right order: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and then, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Don’t get them reversed. Keep the mindset of a difference maker: not caring what the Pharisees think, caring more about what God thinks than about what people think, caring enough to love and to care for others. 

Does caring for sinners mean that we blow our witness? Does it mean that we start dealing drugs to try to reach drug dealers? No. Difference makers care about what God thinks. They share His heart for sinners. They dine in diversity while speaking with clarity. Remember what Jesus did: he reached out to a tax collector in such a way that Matthew became a disciple. Jesus was clear. He wasn't condemning or condoning. Jesus was secure in His identity and purpose. He knew, and declared, that He had come to seek and save the lost. 

Pray: God, help me prioritize Your desires over my need to be liked by others. Help me keep the mindset of a difference maker.