Too many times in the world today, we are bombarded with bad news: the moral decline of America, a crumbling economy, what seems like a never-ending election process...how about some good news for a change?
Well, actually it is great news! Among all of the negativity in the world, a precious soul was added to the family of God yesterday. His name is Gary Garrett, and he is a resident at Signature Health Care in Columbia, TN in room 104. Some people have probably questioned about the efforts of evangelizing assisted living homes and nursing homes, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this makes it worth it: the addition of one precious soul into the family of God.
Luke records three parables in chapter fifteen of his gospel account. Each of them focuses on the value of one who is lost: the sheep, the coin and the son. With the recent decision of Gary to be baptized into Christ, I can't help but think about the question that Don Petty of Lewisville, TX asked recently in an email: "What is the value of one soul?"
Partly as a response to his question and partly my interest in sharing this experience, I would like to tackle this question. In my opinion, whether I ever baptized another individual from any of the homes around Columbia or not, it was worth it just to see Gary obey the gospel. Jesus said in Luke 15:7 "...there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." At times do we feel discouraged? At times do we question how much of an impact we are making? At times do we even question our abilities? The resounding answer to all of these questions is YES! But, we do not let these overpower our desire to save one soul who is lost.
So, in answering the question, the value of one soul is their inheritance in eternity. I mean, come on, their eternal outcome is at stake! If the Son of God took the time to focus on this in three consecutive parables, shouldn't that send a clear message to us? You better believe it! With that being said, what are we doing to make an active difference in the lives of others? Are we sharing the gospel with those who need it? We can't sit back and wait on them to come to us. The statement uttered in the movie Field of Dreams, "if you build it, they will come," has much truth in application for us today. We have to realize that if we are going to be soul winners, we have to be active in His service. How can we sing hymns such as "I want to be a soul-winner for Jesus" and "Lead me to some soul today" if we will not take the initiative to look for the lost?
In closing, let me challenge all of us, as Jimmy Allen challenged all of us at West 7th recently. We need to be bringing people to Jesus. A couple of times in the gospel of John, we see Andrew bringing people to Jesus. Let us learn from his example that we need to be active, as the value of one soul is precious in the sight of God.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Our God Is Awesome!
Has anybody been able to look at the beautiful fall colors and not been able to realize the power of God? This time of year always amazes me. It's definitely in times such as this that I think about what Paul said in Romans chapter one. "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20).
One of the greatest places to experience this is in the woods during hunting season. Some people can't understand why some of us like to hunt animals. I'm not going to get on my soapbox talking about how that is a responsibility of us as stewards of His creation. I'll save that for another day. Many people don't realize that when we're out in the woods, we are among God's creation to witness His handiwork firsthand. It's very peaceful to sit in a treestand or a ground blind and watch the falling leaves flutter to the ground. We also get to watch a variety of animal life go about their daily activities: squirrels jumping from limb to limb, deer following a trail looking for acorns and hawks scanning a field for a meal.
If you haven't gotten away from the latest hustle and bustle of life, go out in the woods for a little while and get away from it all. I think you'll come away with a renewed sense of God's creative power.
One of the greatest places to experience this is in the woods during hunting season. Some people can't understand why some of us like to hunt animals. I'm not going to get on my soapbox talking about how that is a responsibility of us as stewards of His creation. I'll save that for another day. Many people don't realize that when we're out in the woods, we are among God's creation to witness His handiwork firsthand. It's very peaceful to sit in a treestand or a ground blind and watch the falling leaves flutter to the ground. We also get to watch a variety of animal life go about their daily activities: squirrels jumping from limb to limb, deer following a trail looking for acorns and hawks scanning a field for a meal.
If you haven't gotten away from the latest hustle and bustle of life, go out in the woods for a little while and get away from it all. I think you'll come away with a renewed sense of God's creative power.
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