As I’m sitting here in this chair, I look around me and see many people. This is like sitting in an airport watching the people walk by.
Have any of these people had a time in their life when they realized their need to put their faith in Jesus Christ?
I know one thing for sure as I’m sitting here, and that’s the fact that many around me must be lost without Jesus. They are having to navigate their current storm in life without the assurance of the hope, love and peace that God gives and that is so sad.
Do you ever wonder about people’s salvation? If so, that’s a good thing, but then I must ask myself the next question, which is “How often do I go the next step and try to engage people in conversation, praying that I can somehow lead them into a Gospel conversation.
Many people have much hurt and pain in their lives. They desperately need Jesus. Romans 10:14 speaks truth when it says, “How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher?” My friends, that preacher is all of us!
The Great commission of Matthew 28 should be our “Call to Action.” Disciple making is the call for all believers. This means that we need to realize that people need the Lord and not some lecture from us about their sinfulness. Sinners live as sinners, but they are still our neighbors. I need to understand why this fact is so important.
A lawyer asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus then asked him, What is written in the Law? The man answered in Luke 10:27, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Then the man asked Jesus who his neighbor was, hoping to “trip up” Jesus.
At that point Jesus told him the story of the Good Samaritan, stressing the point that everyone we ever encounter is our neighbor. I need to stay focused on those around me and the needs they have, just like in the Good Samaritan story.
My prayer today is that we all pay close attention to the plight of others around us, praying for them, and offering a helping hand. And most importantly, may we all look for the opportunity to share how Jesus changed our life.
Yes, I’m seeing many things as I sit and watch from this chair all day in the Levine Cancer Infusion Center, Pod B, Chair 26. Blessings!
Irvin Reynolds
