Drug rehab visit

"Jesus said to them, 'Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.'" -Matthew 21:31

The above passage had to have been a real slap in the face to the religious leaders that Jesus was talking to. In the context Jesus was telling them this because the prostitutes and tax collectors had come to repent for their mistakes, while those in religious authorities maintained an aire of self righteousness. The reason I bring up this passage is because it came to mind today as Pablo and I spent time at a drug rehab center here in Nicaragua today. We took about a 2 hour motorcycle ride out to this little town to visit those at the drug rehab center. Unable to carry much on the bike, we brought some New Testament bibles to give out. Upon our arrival we spent some time singing worship songs with those there, and then Pablo and I both spoke a word of encouragement from the bible. I don't know what it is about being at a drug and alcohol rehab center, but there is something legitimate about the people there and how they worship. I stood among 36 men and one woman who praised and worshipped God with lifted hands, in a manner that was real. It's a lot like when someone tells you "I forgive you" or "I love you". It's pretty easy to tell whether or not they mean it. Regardless of what they say, you can tell by how they say it. Well these people mean it. They've seen both ends of the spectrum, and thus have a great appreciation for the freedom there is in a life with Jesus Christ.

"Two people owed money to a certain money lender. One owed him 500 denarii, and the other 50. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love more?" -Luke7:41-42

Whether or not those at the drug rehab center owe a "greater debt" than I, in regards to the sin in their lives, I do not know. What I do know is that their desire for the the Lord is real and legitimate. I myself have never been addicted to drugs, never murdered, or stolen. In the same light I was born with two loving parents into a blessed family, in a blessed country, with wise parental instruction all of my years of childhood. I do not know what it's like to grow up without parents. I don't know what it's like to beg on the streets. And I certainly don't know what it's like to be so lost and lonely as to seek the "comfort" of drugs and alcohol daily. To see people who have struggled with those circumstances fall into the arms of a loving Savior by way of a Christ based drug rehabilitation center is what I picture when I think of the ministry Jesus led while on this earth. Jesus pursued, and pursues, the lost and the broken because many of us who are neither lost nor broken wouldn't give him the time of day if he did. May we pray for humble hearts to hear the gentle words of our Lord when he's come to save us from a broken world.