Who's your 1?

July 9th, 2024
by Dane Gentzler

Earlier this year, Mitch had a sermon series entitled, Who’s your 1? That series really resonated with me. I continue to work on encouraging my one. I hope you are to.

During a recent Bible study, I came across the following quote from the commentator: “Jesus was never interested in big crowds. He spent most of his time with a small number of people and gave most of his attention to one person at a time.”

There are lots of examples in the Gospels of Jesus giving his attention to one person. In just two chapters of the Book of Luke (chapters 7 and 8), we can see Jesus giving his attention to:

The Widow’s son
Tomb dwelling man from Gerasene
Jairus’ Daughter
Women with blood discharge

Jesus’ example is the template we are trying to follow with our “one”.

We need to show them that we love them and find value in them. This opens the door for sharing with them that God values them as well. As the adage goes, they don’t care what you know until they know that you care. How do we go about making people feel seen, to make them feel notice, to let them know we care?

We can start by making them a priority. This can sometimes be a challenge in our lives. We have commitments, or we have other things we might want to do or enjoy doing instead. We need to stop looking inward and start focusing on others.
In Matthew 5, Jesus spoke of the power of going the extra mile to gain the attention of someone who might otherwise ignore him. We shouldn’t fall for the trap of doing just the minimal required.
We can show compassion for others (Luke 7:11-17). We can be there for them during difficult times in their life. We can celebrate with them during happy times like marriage, birthdays, and the like.

We can see the heart of Jesus through His example in the Gospels. With one person at a time, we can model and share the joy that Jesus brings to us through the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), and the difference that having Jesus in our life makes. We might not think that focusing on one person at a time can make a big difference. But it really can. One person at a time is noticed. One person at a time is encouraged. One person at a time is cared for. One person at a time is loved.

One at a time…that is the Jesus way of changing the world. What a significant impact that Jesus has had on this world! Just think of the lives that He has touched and the souls that He has saved.

Be like Jesus. Who’s your 1?

Blessings,
Dane