Searching by Candlelight
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
Luke 15:8–10
If you’ve ever lost something valuable, you know how frustrating it can be to look for it. If it happens at night, you face a choice—you can either wait for the sun to come up, or you can find some kind of a flashlight to help in your search. The decision is usually based on how valuable the lost object is. If it is something fairly minor, you may be content to wait for the sun to come up. But if what you have lost is something important to you, you will probably be down on your hands and knees with a light, searching for it even in the darkness.
We need a renewed sense of the incredible value of the souls of men. Too often we relegate witnessing to an activity we do once a week, or even less frequently. But if we are aware of the reality of Heaven and Hell, we will not wait for convenient times and “good light” to witness. We will strike a match and go out into the darkness to find those who are lost. When Paul summed up his ministry in the city of Ephesus, he pointed out the around-the-clock nature of his effort. “Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31).
Luke 15:8–10
If you’ve ever lost something valuable, you know how frustrating it can be to look for it. If it happens at night, you face a choice—you can either wait for the sun to come up, or you can find some kind of a flashlight to help in your search. The decision is usually based on how valuable the lost object is. If it is something fairly minor, you may be content to wait for the sun to come up. But if what you have lost is something important to you, you will probably be down on your hands and knees with a light, searching for it even in the darkness.
We need a renewed sense of the incredible value of the souls of men. Too often we relegate witnessing to an activity we do once a week, or even less frequently. But if we are aware of the reality of Heaven and Hell, we will not wait for convenient times and “good light” to witness. We will strike a match and go out into the darkness to find those who are lost. When Paul summed up his ministry in the city of Ephesus, he pointed out the around-the-clock nature of his effort. “Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31).
Today’s Growth Principle:
Every Christian needs to be about the work of bringing light into the darkness to find the lost.
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