It should not take a Christian long to recognize the following. People need Jesus. In…so…many…ways…people need Jesus. 

Foremost, of course, we all need the forgiveness found only in the blood that He willingly gave up on the cross. All of us have sinned and come short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). Every single one of us. Each of us has a soul. Every soul that has sinned deserves separation from God (Isaiah 59:1-2)—eternal death. Only through belief and obedience to the gospel of Christ can we find the forgiveness we need to be reconciled to God. 

People need the example of Jesus to know how they ought to live. No one has ever been more compassionate, more kind, more loving, or less concerned about self than is our Savior. He taught us how to care about people, even when those people do not care about us. He showed kindness to those with whom He, being a Jew, would not be expected to show (John 4). He gave us the greatest lesson of how to love by giving His life in place of ours. 

People need the love of Jesus to be shown to them by those who are already in Jesus. This quote has been attributed to many different people, but it surely comes from biblical principles: “People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Truer words have never been spoken. 

Everywhere we can look, there are people hurting. People who are suffering with sickness or physical disabilities. People who have lost someone they loved. People having marital problems. People with mental health problems. People who are wondering from where their next meal will come. People who need hope and who need help. People who are stuck in their sinful addictions or other destructive ways of life. People who need forgiveness. People who simply need the love of Jesus shown to them. People who just need someone to show them that they care. 

Until we show them that we do care about them, and that Jesus loves them, they are not going to know about the example Jesus gave us, or the healing they can find in Him. Many do not realize that someone can care for them because no one ever has. Everyone was not brought up in a loving home, Christian or not. Everyone has not had the opportunities that others have had. Everyone has not made good choices when it comes to lifestyles or even spouses. We all have one huge thing in common—we all need Jesus. Those of us who already are in Him ought never forget that we have not always made good choices and we needed forgiveness and love as well. 

Admittedly, through my former career as a package delivery driver, and in my time as a local preacher, I saw my share of people who were hurting for one reason or another. Yet, it took me moving to an island nearly 8,000 miles away from home to fully comprehend just how many are living horribly miserable lives, most of them without Jesus. (Yes, there are Christians suffering too!) There have already been many times when I honestly wanted to break down and cry, but I do not have the time to feel bad about their situation. I need to be busy trying to help them change their circumstances instead. 

I suppose the purpose of this article is two-fold. One is to remind me of what I must be doing. The other is to encourage you, Christian, to show the love of Christ to someone today. No…check that. Show the love of Christ to every single person you meet today. You do not know when you may be the only person to ever show them that someone cares for them.