Every
life you meet today is going through some trial. Everyone you see has
issues that they must confront on a daily basis, some great and some
small; yet even the smallest of issues in our lives can seem
insurmountable and make us feel like we have the weight of the world on
our shoulders. Everyone has the opportunity to be freed from that
weight, but not everyone takes advantage of that opportunity
(Matt.11:28-30).
Think about
your own struggles; it can be seriously difficult some days to just make
it through, can't it? However, if you're a Christian, think of the joy
and peace you have because you can take it all to the Lord in prayer
with the confidence He will hear you
(Jms.5:16; Phil.4:4-7).
Recognize how you're even able to make it through each day, and who
gives you the strength to face and overcome the issues of life. Think of
the hope you have, that hope of eternal life, if you will but persevere
faithfully to the end
(Rev.2:10; Phil.3:12-14).
Hold on to that and recognize how blessed you are if you're truly being
faithful to God. Let that lift your spirits and help you to press on
serving Him the rest of your days, let come what may. Through our Lord,
we can not only face the issues of life; no, more than that, we can
conquer them
(Rom.8:37-39)!
What a tremendous blessing!
Now, think
for a moment what it would be like to have none of this. Think of what
it would be like to go through life without hope, without the assurance
of heaven, without the peace that comes from praying to our Lord and
knowing He will hear and answer. Think deeply of the impact of being
separated eternally from God, instead spending eternity in a devil's
hell "where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched"
(Mk.9:42-50; Rev.21:6-8).
Do we have
that overwhelming flood of despair and trembling within when we consider
this reality, this promise from God to the disobedient? Do we tremble at
the thought of how that used to be, and still could be, us
(1 Cor.6:9-11; 1Cor.10:12; Rom.6:1-11)?
Good. We need to tremble at this thought.
Now, apply
that to every soul you meet today who is walking around without the
Lord. Think of every person who has either not heard or not obeyed the
word of God; tremble for their souls. That's a lot of lost souls, my
friends. So, so many dying and dead in their sins. What effect does this
knowledge have on you and me? Do you tremble, does your heart break for
them?
Yet, what
do we do?
Do we walk
around selfishly keeping that hope and peace within, refusing to extend
that blessing to others, giving ourselves the false hope that we're
saved when in reality we're condemned for not speaking the truth in love
to them? Do we claim love for God, but then refuse to give others what
they need the most - the saving message of Jesus Christ? Do we call
ourselves Christians, but yet refuse to hold ourselves and others
accountable to the standard which He set?
Consider
this:
"When I say
to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not
speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his
iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you
warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way,
he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul."
Ezekiel 33:8-9 NKJV
And this:
"And Jesus
came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;
and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV
It is
evident from these verses that we have a lot of work to do, friends.
Knowing God's word as we do, do we honestly think God will let us slide
if we refuse to take the saving message of the gospel to the lost?
We have a
responsibility to teach the truth, the hearers have a responsibility to
obey it. It is incumbent upon all of us that we carry the gospel to the
lost and that we follow it diligently ourselves; for if we do not, we
shall surely be lost eternally. Give others hope, give them the
opportunity to have salvation, give them the words of life, show no
partiality, demonstrate your love to God and all of His creation by
spreading the gospel. Save your own soul, and strive to save the souls
of others. Knowing what we know, knowing what our Savior did for us all,
how can we
not
speak about Him
(Acts 4:19-20)?
The world will hate us, the world will speak ill of us, but our Lord
will be pleased if we will but humbly obey Him. Serve God faithfully and
spread the message of Jesus Christ to all until this life is over, then
go home to your reward. May the following hymn convict us and move us to
action:
You Never Mentioned Him To Me
When in the
better land before the bar we stand,
How deeply
grieved our souls will be;
If any lost
one there should cry in deep despair,
"You never
mentioned Him to me."
O let us
spread the word where e'er it may be heard,
Help
groping souls the light to see,
That yonder
none may say, "You showed me not the way.
You never
mentioned Him to me."
A few sweet
words may guide a lost one to His side,
Or turn sad
eyes on Calvary;
So work as
days go by, that yonder none may cry,
"You never
mentioned Him to me."
CHORUS:
"You never
mentioned Him to me,
You helped
me not the light to see;
You met me
day by day and knew I was astray,
Yet never
mentioned Him to me."
Other Articles
The Soul of Obedience
Two Preachers -- Amos and Amaziah
Are Examples Authoritative?
An Inside Job
The Fall and the Rising
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