24 Jan Put People First by John Nuzzo
Put People First
by Pastor John Nuzzo
This is one of the seven values that our staff has committed to, and it is one that my wife Michelle and I have endeavored to live by for the past 26 years. Putting People First is the manner in which God processes His dealings with man. Hebrews 12:2 states that for the “joy set before Jesus,” He endured the cross. We were the joy set before Him. When Jesus was praying and sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane and deciding whether He would bear the cup of our sin, the thing that drove Him to the cross was His love for people.
Putting People First will cause you to overcome the greatest of obstacles. If we are going to finish our course and impact our world with the Gospel, we are going to have to face and overcome what often appears to be insurmountable obstacles. When we base our decisions on immovable values instead of the size of our obstacles, it leads us to make bold and people-centered decisions. God will always honor decisions to reach the object of His sacrifice and love. When we “Put People First,” it changes the way we approach our daily lives.
Putting People First will also ensure that you don’t place “rules” ahead of “people.” More than 60% of the people you serve need order so that they feel safe and secure. This means that they will have a propensity to see “rules” before “people.” Jesus constantly put people before rules. He did so with Zacchaeus, the woman with the issue of blood, and the woman taken in adultery just to name a few. While rules and policies are important, we must distinguish which comes first. We should set policies to enable our mission, not to manage and control people. Rule-driven people make the rules the purpose or mission. Commit to Putting People First and watch your capacity for the difficult increase!
John Nuzzo
Victory Family Church
Cranberry Twp, Pennsylvania
www.lifeatvictory.com