Be Sensitive to Their Needs and Concerns

Principle #4

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.............Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
(Romans 12:10,15)

Today, we will be talking about principle #4, Be sensitive to their needs and concerns. I believe that principle #3 and #4 go hand-in-hand.  I believe that people feel accepted even more when you become sensitive to their needs and concerns. God made us emotional beings. Although we are not to be controlled by our emotions, they do help us sympathize with our neighbor. It's a "relation" thing. And in order to effectively minister to people, you must be able to relate in some way to them.

Let's look at the life of Jesus. Hebrews 4:15 says that we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. Jesus was at all points tempted just as we are. Yet He was without sin. The important factor here though is that Jesus was created for that purpose. God had to make His word become flesh, send Him to the earth, and walk as we walked so that He could redeem us back to Himself. He knew that for that to take place, we needed to be lead by example. God is not a hypocritical God. And He desires that we be not hypocritical people. Even though our walk in life may be different from one another, at one point over time, we have all had the same experiences to which, revealed or shared, somebody will be able to relate. Our many experiences are what enable us to be sensitive with the needs and concerns of others. They enable us to share with them how we were able to overcome. How we were able to press through. They enable us to share how we are able to keep going in life even though we have gone through what we have gone through.

There's an epidemic going around where people are claiming themselves to be independent. To me, this is such a deception of the enemy. First, we depend on God for the breath of life. Second, we depend on our parents to take care of us when we are little. Third, we depend on other people to help us make a way to take care of our own families. And last but not least, when we get into a situation that we think is beyond our control, we depend on somebody to help us find a way out. How else can this happen if we are all independent and insensitive to those around us? It wouldn't.

The greatest example we have to look to is God. He's concerned about us all. The fact that the Word of God states that we were created in His image tells me (and you too) that we are to be concerned with each other as well. It's time for effective ministry. Finding common ground, avoiding a know-it-all attitude, making others feel accepted, and being sensitive to their needs and concerns are tools that will lead a soul to Christ. He that wins a soul is wise.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

and he who wins souls is wise.

(Proverbs 11:30)