Today I hope you don’t mind if I spend a few moments tackling a subject which is a little more sobering. Just the other day, I was talking with a new believer who was expressing some concerns with me. They were struggling with the reality of the knowledge that while they had been wonderfully saved, their family and friends were still unsaved. They were coming to grips with the reality and implications of it all and it was terribly distressing for them.
The question they posed was “Why me, and not them?” Not an easy question to answer. To be honest with you, in that moment, I had a bit of a personal wake up call. There is nothing more stark and real as listening to a brand new Christian share their concerns regarding the realities they are confronted with. It is so fresh and so real to them. And of course, that’s also what makes new believers such great witnesses for Christ.
As mature believers, it can be so easy to slip into our own little world and the reality of the plight of the unsaved can be something we can lose sight of. We can easily come to a place of being consumed with enjoying the benefits of our salvation and lose sight of the fact that so many of those around us don’t even know Christ.
The whole issue reminds me of my Uncle, a war veteran who fought in the Korean war. He had lost so many of his close friends in battle. He returned with a sense of gratitude that he had survived, but also expressed a sense of guilt, “Why me?” was his response to it all, “Why did I survive and not them?”
So many war veterans have this same response, shaken by the tragedy and loss of war and yet still concerned with the plight of their friends; feeling guilty that their lives had been spared. To have the knowledge of Christ and a relationship with Christ, is similar. It truly is a wonderful thing to be saved, but it is also a wonderful entrustment. God didn’t save you and me just so we could enjoy all the benefits of that relationship. He did it so we could share it with others.
The Bible is clear when it speaks of how we are all in a great spiritual battle; there are casualties in this war. 1 John 5:19 tells us, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” 2 Corinthians 4:4a says “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.” There is a great spiritual battle over the hearts and minds of every human being. We are called to be people who plunder the kingdom of darkness and see precious unsaved people rescued from the grip of the enemy.
Now, I’m not here to promote doing anything in the Kingdom of God out of a sense of guilt or condemnation. The Scripture is very clear that there is ‘no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Everything we do should be out of a motive of love for Jesus and our fellow man. I do however, want to provide a fresh reminder of the reality of the situation we
are all faced with: There are many headed into eternity without the blessing of the salvation that we have been so freely given.
The Scripture tells us to “Consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.’” (Hebrews 10:24) I’m sharing these thoughts today to ‘spur you on.’ Another translation says ‘to provoke you.’ We all need a fresh reminder from time to time of what is really important in life and talking with this brand new Christian, ‘provoked’ something in my life.
I know many of us, including myself, have asked that same question, “God, why me and not them?” It is a very difficult question and we need to be careful not to give others a cliche answer. Life is incredibly complex and God’s ways can be mysterious and past finding out. I don’t want to claim to know all the answers to all of life’s questions. But I do know this, that for all of us who are saved, can start with a grateful heart for what God has done for us. We can be praying that God will open doors for us to share what God has done for us, the wonderful message of salvation.
Thanks for allowing me to share my heart with you today. As an Evangelist, I pray that God love and heart for the unsaved would touch your heart today afresh. I want to thank-you for getting behind our efforts to promote this wonderful message of the Gospel in the nations as we offer others the opportunity to have the wonderful gift of salvation that has been given to all of us!
If you enjoyed this word of encouragement, please feel free to sign up for future words of encouragement and updates of our ministry endeavors, by joining our mailing list on the top right hand side of this page.
