Playing spiritual cop will cause you to miss the mark …

In 1992, a Los Angeles County parking control officer spotted a brown El Dorado Cadillac illegally parked next to the curb on street-sweeping day.

The officer dutifully wrote out a ticket. Ignoring the man seated behind the driver’s wheel, the officer reached inside the open car window and placed the $30 citation on the dashboard.

The driver of the car didn’t offer any excuses. No argument was made — and with good reason. The driver of the car had been shot in the head 10 to 12 hours before but was sitting up, stiff as a board, slumped slightly forward, with blood on his face. He was dead.

The officer, preoccupied with ticket-writing, was oblivious to anything but the offense. He returned to his car and drove away.

Many people around us are “dead in transgressions and sins.” What should catch our attention most is their need, not their offenses. They don’t need a citation, they need a Savior.

Jesus saw the need in people. In fact, seeing our need was the reason for His coming to earth.

“For the son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost,” Luke 19:10.

While Jesus cared about our need, we can be quick to spot the offenses of others, and then stubborn about seeing anything else about them. Such tunnel vision results in a lot of judgment and little love.

Do you see the need for a Savior in those around you? Or are you too busy focusing on their offenses?

Scotty