Building One Another  

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.  I Thessalonians 5:11

People Eyes – the Heart of Encouragement!

Dear Friend,

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, so he climbed a sycamore tree.

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”Luke 19:5*

Surrounded by crowds, Jesus had the capacity to pick out individual people.

Jesus had "people eyes.”

My friend Chuck Miller taught me people eyes are the God given capacity of being aware of other people and their needs and focusing on them. People eyes are the eyes of Jesus for people.

It is so easy to be "people blind" and to be unaware of others around you.

The comfort of being "inside" some group or fellowship or circle of friendship lulls us into being blind to those who are “outside.”

This is not deliberate exclusion. We just do not see them.  We may be friendly to them, saying, "Hi, how are you? What's happening?" yet, through people blindness, fail to practice hospitality or respond to their needs.

When you are with other people, at home, work, church, community, whether physically together or together online, ask Jesus Christ to give you his eyes for people – people eyes – to see people as he sees them, with love.

Joy to you -- E. Stanley Ott  

© Copyright 2020 E. Stanley Ott

Scripture from the ESV

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Who are some people who have shown they have people eyes by the uplifting ways they have encouraged you?

Think of the people in your life and ask yourself, if I look at this one, and this one, through the eyes of Jesus, what new insights will I receive? How may I respond in a loving, encouraging way?

What are illustrations of people eyes you see in the Bible?