Separate the Adjectives from the Nouns

Being a human, and having a sin nature, one of the hardest areas I find to overcome is to look at all people as simply people. Not "poor" people, not "(pick your color)" people, not "skinny" people, "nice" people--you get the drift? It's so easy to attach adjectives to people, and then to quickly attach issues such as value or fear or avoidance...and on and on the list goes. You know, I am not crazy about the whole "politically correct" jargon, but when I think about the need for Jesus Christ in the world, we who already have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior need to start seeing people first and foremost as people. Yes, they may be very different than us. Yes, we may find it difficult at times to connect. Think about the people you find it easiest to talk about Jesus with, if you're a believer. More often than not, they're just like us--it's easy to present the Gospel to people that mirror much of who we are. Our hearts and minds shut very fast, though, when we start seeing people's distinctions, whether those distinctions be hereditary or a choice or sinful--and to back off from showing God's love. John 3:16 starts off by saying, "For God so loved the world..." That's every person, and that's a group of people who all fall short of His glory, none who deserve His love or grace or mercy. There are no distinctions drawn as to who God loves--it's people--the world. I encourage you and myself to be mindful to pray that we not let the adjectives consume the nouns when it comes to showing God's love and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to separate the adjectives from the nouns--PEOPLE need the Lord, period.