Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
--Isaiah 45:22
It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or where you’ve been, no one is too far gone for Jesus.
I think that statement’s important enough that it’s worth repeating: No one is too far gone for Jesus. No one! And there’s no better evidence of this than the woman that Jesus met at the well.
When Jesus meets this woman she has been used and abused. She has been divorced five times and was living with her boyfriend. She was a mess! At least, she was a mess to the people around her. Even so, Christ reached out to her with the living water of eternal life. And her life was transformed instantly and eternally!
This woman…a woman who had been ravaged by regrets and failures and brokenness…this wasted, burned out woman…was made brand new because of the power of Jesus Christ which began to change her! She wasn’t too far gone for the Lord Jesus!
And the application in your life and my life is clear. No one around us…no matter how wasted, burned out, or strung out they may seem…is too far gone for Jesus Christ.
And you know what else? Neither are you!
In John 4:13, Jesus says, “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus says whoever drinks of the water that He gives will have eternal life! Like I said before, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or where you’ve been. None of us is ever too far gone for Jesus Christ.
It’s my prayer that no matter what your past may hold, you will turn to God today!
No one on this earth is too far gone for Jesus.
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.”
Luke 19:16–19
There is an old story about a missionary returning to America by boat after many years of faithful service in Africa. When the boat pulled into New York harbor, there was a huge crowd at the docks to welcome it. On that same vessel was former President Teddy Roosevelt, returning from his famous African safari. The crowds cheered and the band played as the people welcomed Roosevelt home. The missionary said that at first he was somewhat disappointed to see the recognition given to the President while he received none, but then he had this thought: the President is home—you are not.
The world may never notice what we do for the Lord. In fact, the more faithful and diligent we are about His business the less popular we are likely to be. Yet God is not interested in whether we become famous and well-liked by the world. Instead He is watching to see whether we have made the most of the talents, resources, abilities, and opportunities He gives to us.
In God’s eyes, small actions done out of love and service for Him matter a great deal. Nothing escapes His notice. Jesus said, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42). Though we think of a drink as being a small thing, the Lord sees even those “little” things and marks them down on our record for when we stand before Him.
Today’s Growth Principle:
God is looking for faithfulness, not notoriety, when it comes to determining our rewards.
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