Our relationship with God was broken by sin.

Restoration of that relationship requires repentance, forgiveness and coming back together. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sin. He came to make reconciliation possible. That is how much he loves us, and that is how much God desires a relationship with you and me. He wasn’t content to just forgive. He went the second mile to reconcile a relationship with us. He removed every obstacle that stood in the way.

The Apostle Paul understood this: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” – Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT)

In the NIV, Verse 5: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” What relationships was Paul talking about? I believe he means all of them. The easy ones, the hard ones, the ones with the people I can easily get along with and the ones with the people I don’t. In all of our relationships, we are to have the same mindset as Jesus.

So what does it mean to have the mindset of Jesus in all of our relationships? To answer that question, just look at how Jesus approached relationships.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus told a parable about a shepherd that had 100 sheep. One wandered off, and the Good Shepherd left the 99 to go find the one. That’s not our natural inclination.

When one sheep wanders off and gets separated from the flock, we typically let it go. We are of the mindset that they are the one that wandered off. If they want to come back, they know where to find us. When they get their act together, we will welcome them back. It is not our fault they wandered off.

That is not how Jesus approached relationships. He always moves in our direction. He is seeking the lost. He takes the initiative. He doesn’t stand back. He doesn’t wait. He makes the first move.

But that drove the religious leaders crazy. They were not about to go chasing after anyone. If someone is outside the circle of fellowship, that is on them. It is their responsibility to move toward us. It is not our responsibility to move toward them. But Jesus kept leaving the 99 to go search for the one. I am so glad he did.

Steve Greene is the lead pastor of The Point in Seymour. Read his blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or email him at [email protected].