Latest / HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN® / Finding God in a world that never stops: Ep 9 Love the Person Standing in Front of You

Transcript

Finding God in a world that never stops: Ep 9 Love the Person Standing in Front of You · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

• 0:00
  Welcome to Have Faith, Let It Begin. This is Ariel Santana.
• 0:04
  Can you believe I'm seven years old already? I'm old enough now to introduce my dad.
• 0:10
  Ladies and gentlemen, your host, my dad, Angel Santana.
• 0:46
  Hello, everyone. Oh, my goodness. Maybe I jumped the gun a little bit, but I'm so excited.
• 0:50
  Half Faith Let It Begin is on the
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  air, and we have been on this two-week journey. It's episode nine of 10.
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  10 episodes, two weeks, amazing series, Slow Down, Finding God in the World That Never Stops.
• 1:04
  Today is episode nine, Love the Person in Front of You.
• 1:09
  Again, Half Faith Let It Begin. My name is Angel, and it's always a privilege
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  and an honor to be into your homes in your living rooms, in your car,
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  as we honor this podcast and move so much closer to our Heavenly Father every single day.
• 1:22
  Today's episode is about something we all need to be reminded of.
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  We spend so much time planning for tomorrow, thinking about next week,
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  or worrying about what happened yesterday, that we sometimes miss the person
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  standing right in front of us, a spouse, a child,
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  a coworker, a stranger.
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  Every person we encounter has a story. Every person is loved by God.
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  The question is, do you feel or do they feel loved by us?
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  Today, let's slow down and open God's word together.
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  Here's our biblical perspective.
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  Our primary scripture comes from Matthew 22, verses 37-39.
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  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
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  This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it.
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  Love your neighbor as yourself. When Jesus was asked to summarize God's law,
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  he didn't begin with rules.
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  He began with relationships.
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  Love God. Love people. Those two commands are inseparable.
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  Our supporting scripture comes from Luke 19, verses 1-10.
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  The story of Zacchaeus.
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  The crowd saw a dishonest tax collector.
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  Jesus saw a man worth stopping for. He looked up into the tree and he called him by his name.
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  You know, that one moment literally changed his life.
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  That one moment, life forever was changed.
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  Jesus always saw the person behind the reputation, the soul behind the struggle,
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  the child of God behind the crowd.
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  It's amazing how often we overlook the people closest to us.
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  We assume there will always be another conversation, another dinner tonight,
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  another dinner together, another phone call, another opportunity to say, I appreciate you.
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  Life has a way of reminding us tomorrow isn't promised.
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  One of the greatest ministries you'll ever hear or ever have isn't on the stage.
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  It is behind a microphone.
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  It's in front of a crowd. It's the ministry of loving the people God has already placed in your life.
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  Your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors. Yeah,
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  even the cashier at the grocery store.
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  Everyone you meet is carrying something you can't see. A burden. A fear.
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  A prayer, a heartbreak, a dream, a struggle.
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  And what if today, you became the person, you became the answer to someone's
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  prayer simply by showing kindness, patience, and compassion?
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  Jesus never made people feel invisible. Neither should we.
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  Love isn't just something we say. Love is something we demonstrate.
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  And often, it's demonstrated one conversation at a time. So here's a heart check
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  for you. Let's pause together.
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  Who has God placed in your life that you unintentionally overlooked?
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  Have you become so busy that you've stopped noticing the people closest to you?
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  When was the last time you told someone, I love you. I'm praying for you. I'm grateful for you.
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  Don't wait for the perfect moment. Create it.
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  Here's a faith challenge for you.
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  Today, choose one person Give them your full attention Encourage them Pray for
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  them Write for them Write them a note,
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  Call them Tell them why they matter Before today even ends Make sure someone
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  walks away knowing they are loved,
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  Here's today's takeaway The greatest ministry opportunity you have today may
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  be the person standing right in front of you.
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  Love isn't complicated. It requires time, presence, patience, compassion.
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  When we slow down enough to truly see people, we begin loving them the way Jesus loves us.
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  We may never become so busy pursuing success that we may, well,
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  that we miss the people God has entrusted to our care.
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  Today, love the person in front of you. Amen.
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  Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us with love and, well,
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  with the love that never fails.
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  Open our eyes to see the people you've placed in our lives. Help us to slow
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  down, be present, and love others with the same grace, compassion,
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  and mercy you have shown us.
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  May our words encourage our actions, inspire our lives, point others to Jesus,
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  Teach us to notice those who feel unseen and to remind them that they are deeply loved by you.
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  We ask this in your precious name. In Jesus' name, amen.
• 6:38
  Well, before we wrap up today's episode, I'd like to ask you for a favor. You know the favor.
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  Today's message, if it encouraged you, you would love to give us feedback.
• 6:49
  I would love it. You know why? Would you consider helping us continue this podcast, this ministry?
• 6:55
  Please subscribe to Have Faith Let It Begin, download each episode,
• 6:59
  leave a review, write a comment, and share these messages with your family,
• 7:02
  friends, and on all social media accounts.
• 7:06
  Every download, every review, every comment, every like, and every share does
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  help us reach someone who may need hope, encouragement, and life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
• 7:18
  And while you're visiting us, be sure to stop by our official Have Faith Let
• 7:22
  It Begin faith gear store, inspired by Have Faith, Let It Begin.
• 7:26
  Our apparel was created to encourage, inspire, and remind people to keep moving forward in faith.
• 7:32
  We have a message here. It's called, wear the message and share the faith.
• 7:37
  Havefaithletitbegin.com. You'll also find all these links in today's episode
• 7:42
  description. Thank you for being a part of Have Faith, Let It Begin family.
• 7:45
  And let me close with this. We're a federally registered trademark,
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  mark and we deal with real people, real stories, real faith.
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  Until next time, keep the faith, slow your pace, and let God lead the way. God bless you.
• 8:01
  Que Dios te bendiga. Have faith.