Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
God cares about how people feel. In Jesus’ first sermon, when he announced in the synagogue in Nazareth that he had been anointed by God to preach, the first element of the gospel that he mentioned was his anointing “to heal the broken-hearted.” God cares, first of all, about the part of people that is called “feelings”.
The feeling of condemnation in the heart is an awful, tormenting weight. God wants to relieve people of the burden of guilt and shame, and to replace it with joy and peace. He wants to make people happy, but in order to accomplish that, we must cooperate with Him.
If you have hurt someone’s heart, you have sinned. Jesus’ message angered some wicked people, but he always took care for their heart.
The Lord showed me that we must nurture the landscaping of our souls. That landscaping has to do with the people whom he has planted in our lives. Each person who has a part in our lives on earth is a precious plant put there by God, and we are obligated to care for that person’s heart.