November 10

Kenny Rogers sings a song in which the words say, “And she believes in me. I’ll never know just what she sees in me....But she has faith in me, and so I go on trying faithfully. And who knows maybe on some special night, if my song is right, I will find a way.......”
Few things say, “I love you,” more than believing the best about people and standing by them, especially when few others will. Jesus met a woman in Samaria in John 4 who had already been married five times and was currently living with a man outside of the marriage covenant (vss.17&18). Because Jesus was able to look past her sin and instead see her pain, and because Jesus believed the best about this woman and saw her potential, her life was totally changed. She, who had a horrible reputation amongst those who knew her, was able to lead an entire village of people to also find Jesus (John 4:39-42).
Later, Jesus met a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. The Mosaic Law forbid adultery and said that those caught in such an act should be stoned to death (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). But, because Jesus was again able to look past her sin and see the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders who used her to test Jesus, and because Jesus believed the best about this woman and saw her potential, her life was spared. Enveloped by Jesus’ love and forgiveness, her life was forever changed (John 8:1-11).
Saul had such a horrible reputation for persecuting Christians, that when he miraculously became a Christian, few believers trusted him. And who could blame them? (Acts 9:13&14, 21, 26) This man had previously searched out and persecuted Christians, wanting to destroy them and their faith. Furthermore, Saul thought he was serving the same God they did, when he carried out this violence (Acts 9:1&2). It’s no wonder that Christians were very skeptical when Saul, the persecutor of Christians now claimed to be Saul, a preacher for Christianity.
Enter Barnabas, whose name meant, “son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). Barnabas befriended Saul when few others would. Barnabas introduced Saul to the apostles and stood up for him. And because Barnabas saw the potential in Saul in the same way Jesus sees the potential in all of us, Saul was accepted by the apostles in Jerusalem. The more time he spent with these men who had been personally trained by Jesus, the more they and others trusted him. It was Barnabas’ friendship that played a large role in Saul eventually ministering to countless numbers of Jews and Gentiles in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 13:1-15:35).
Could it be that you are a Christian today because someone saw through your sins and your hurt and instead, saw the potential in you? Is it possible the Lord might place someone in your path who also needs a friend to believe in them? What Saul is out there whose life could be totally and radically changed by someone who saw them through the eyes of Jesus?