Session 7

How to lead people to Jesus

From How To Be A Better Leader: A 7-Day Devotional

Love compels a mother to lose all dignity in public as she screams the name of her lost child. Love compels a father to run into a burning house to rescue his trapped baby. And in Matthew 18 and Luke 15, Jesus describes a shepherd whose love compelled him to leave his herd to find one lost sheep.

Love moves us to action, and love moves God to action. Love is the reason Jesus left heaven, lived on Earth, and sacrificed His life for us.

Every day, we interact with people who don’t have a relationship with God, and the command Jesus gave us is to love them — to go out of our way, like the shepherd, to love them. Ephesians 5:1-2 says we are to “follow God’s example as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.”

How can we lead people to Jesus? By loving others like He loves us. 

Remember who we were and be kind. “We all, like sheep have gone astray...and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Anything good in us is from and through Jesus. Keep this in mind, and it will help you stay humble and nonjudgmental as you encounter broken people.

Remember who we are and who we serve. We are here to glorify God. When we love other people, we are allowing them to see Him. Take time to meet other people’s needs. Ask God to show you someone who needs a kind word or help with a problem or task. It takes time and it might be inconvenient, but this is what we were created for.

Remember who is with us and be encouraged. We are not alone. Jesus is our example of serving people in love. When we commit our lives to Him, His power strengthens us for any conversation, task, or personality we will face.

Reflect:

• Are you looking for opportunities to lead people to Jesus? If not, what would be a first step in doing so?
• Has anything stopped you from pointing other people to Jesus? If so, what is it?
• Who does God want you to point to Him today? Ask God to show you who it is and to give you an opportunity to show His love.