Wednesday 12 February 2020

That I Might Save Some

That I Might Save Some
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

1 Corinthians 9:20–22

When Thomas Guthrie was a young pastor in Edinburgh, Scotland, he became greatly burdened for the large number of children forced to live on the streets. In the 1800s there were no government programs to help address the need. So Guthrie established a “Ragged School” to reach the young boys and girls and teach them. From 8:00 in the morning until 7:00 at night the children received a basic education and Bible instruction along with food and clothing. The school and others like it touched the lives of thousands. Guthrie later wrote, “I have the satisfaction when I lay my head upon my pillow of always finding one part of it soft, and that is that God has made me an instrument in his hands by saving many a poor creature from a life of misery and crime.”

It is not enough just to observe the needs of the people we see and meet. To live as Jesus did, to live as He commands, and to make an impact for eternity, we must care enough to do something about it. Paul was willing to make enormous sacrifices, giving up things to which he had a right for the sake of reaching other people. His passion for sharing the gospel cost him a great deal, but Paul thought it was worth it.

Today's Growth Principle:
The urgent needs of the lost world around us should produce in us an intense focus on sharing the gospel.

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He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
--Revelation 21:4
Years and years ago in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, there was a wonderful pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle named Lynn Broaden. Pastor Broaden went to see a man who was an usher in his church and was dying of cancer. And as he was describing the glories of heaven and telling that man of the wonderful beauties of that place, tears began to trickle down that man’s face.
So the pastor took out his handkerchief from his pocket and he wiped the tears from the man’s eyes. And then the pastor said, “The next one to wipe those tears from your eyes will be the Lord Jesus.”
There will come a day when Jesus will take away the tears. There will be no more crying. There will be no more death. Everything that has gone wrong since Adam sinned so long ago will be made right as the curse of sin is reversed and real life is restored to this fallen world.
Yet until that day, cling to the blessed hope that you have in Christ. Remember that while suffering here is real and is painful, it is temporary. And one day, when you enter eternity, you’ll know what it means to experience perfect and lasting joy. What a day that will be!
SUFFERING HERE ON EARTH IS VERY REAL AND IS VERY PAINFUL. BUT IN CHRIST, YOU HAVE THE HOPE THAT IT’S TEMPORARY. SO AS YOU SUFFER, REMEMBER THE PROMISE YOU HAVE OF THE ETERNAL JOY TO COME!

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