Relationship Building Involves People

I believe sometimes we sit in church and make mental movies of building relationships with others in order to show them Christ. My mental movie goes something like this:

I see someone in need and stop to offer my assistance. Since the person is so glad that I am there, they ask me why I am different. I then proceed to tell them the goodness of God to which they exclaim, "Oh thank you! I want to place my faith in Jesus right now" I then put my cape on and fly away to build a relationship with another poor lost soul.

Reality? Not So Much!!! The truth is that people have problems and their lives seem messy. Sometimes the process for a person to trust in Christ may take years. Now, does our idea of building relationships involve people or does it focus on us being the heroes for fixing their lives? Based upon our view, determines if we are in it for the long haul, or just for the present (out of sight, out of mind).

I need to get to the place where I view myself a person who just lives out Jesus before a world in need of a Savior. How about you? By the way, Oswald Chambers has a great devotion this morning about dealing with others who disagree with you.