People are more readily predisposed to get help when they have been devastated by some physical or emotional loss and are unsure of how to help themselves. In many cases, they will try to cope with their problem with drugs, a sexual relationship, a gang, or the occult. Others get involved in community activities to get their minds off their troubles and help them cope with life.
Even in these pursuits, however, people have experienced further heartache, and that opened up their hearts to the spiritual side of life. They have already tried various things the world had to offer and come up short. At that point, they are open to hearing about God helping them, something they would never consider while they still had other options to try. My prison pen pals have written that if they had not been caught, they would not have found God; they were too busy messing up their lives and the lives of others.
Many people who have found Jesus while they were involved in drugs and other harmful pursuits have gone back to help share the gospel with others in the same boat. They share the true reason why they indulged in those activities and why Jesus is the only one who could truly fill the gap in their lives.
The happy, the well-adjusted, the financially secure and untroubled, the resourceful and self-satisfied – so often, none of these have a reason to trust God for their lives because they have so many other resources to draw from. Such people are even found in the church, trusting in their wealth instead of in God, as Jesus points out in Revelation 3:14-22. Their trust in the god of Mammon has never failed them. Nevertheless, when the gospel is preached, the door is opened for the Spirit to convict them of sin and show them that they have been deceived about their spiritual well-being. Although secure in this life, they will be most insecure at the judgment seat of Christ because of their lack of faith in Him. Money can’t buy righteousness or eternal life in the sight of God.
What do you think?
a. Some people have resisted medical care for as long as possible, finally giving in when their conditions became life-threatening. They finally received the help they needed and regretted they did not get help earlier. Why won’t some people, if they can afford it, get regular medical checkups while in good health? Is there any similarity between this group and those who won’t accept Christ while everything is well in life?
b. Most of us know that we should get proper nutrition and exercise. So, why do so many of us wait until we get a heart attack, or find the scales tipping 300, before we do what’s good for ourselves?
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