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…I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. --Nehemiah 1:2 Nehemiah was a man who refused the status quo. And he determined under God that he would make a difference in the broken condition of his world and the world of his kinsmen. In the verse above, we see that Nehemiah asked a very pointed question about the people who survived the Babylonian attack on Jerusalem. Even though Nehemiah was a thousand miles away, working in the palace of King Artaxerxes, he wasn’t so tied up in his own affairs that he didn’t care about people who needed help. Even though Nehemiah lived in the lap of luxury and enjoyed the good life, he wasn’t afraid to step out of his comfort zone. So often it’s tempting to stay in our own personal comfort zones…to not get our hands dirty to make a difference in the world like Nehemiah did. I want to ask you today, are you too entrenched in your comfort zone? Is God calling you to take a step into the unknown to make a difference for Him? It’s my prayer today that Christians everywhere will take a step out of their usual routine and be willing to do what it takes to make a difference for God!  True difference-makers refuse to stay in their comfort zone.

Taking Eternity Seriously

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.”
2 Corinthians 5:9–11

In 1879, a notorious English criminal named Charles Peace was sentenced to be executed. He had killed at least two men and committed a number of burglaries in wealthy neighborhoods in and around London. A large reward was offered for his capture. He was eventually arrested while robbing a house and convicted after a sensational trial that riveted the entire city.
On the morning of his execution, Peace was visited by a clergyman and expressed his annoyance that the church had shown little interest in people like him. Peace said, “Sir, if I believed what you and the church of God say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worthwhile living, just to save one soul from an eternal Hell like that!”
There is a real eternity in either Heaven or Hell awaiting every person born into this world. And God has tasked His children with the responsibility to proclaim the gospel, the only hope of Heaven, to those around us. Yet it is clear that for many churches and many Christians, reaching the lost is barely an afterthought rather than a passionate commitment. The test of our love for the lost (and of our love for God) is not found in what we say, but in what we do. Are we taking the task of sharing the gospel seriously?
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

We need a renewed sense of urgency when it comes to reaching the lost with the gospel.