The Heart of the Matter

I love lost men. There is absolutely nothing that can describe my deep passionate love for lost young men and woman. But the other day I was pondering this thought: how do I love them so? It is something I never really thought about or tried to give and answer to. But through prayer and studying the Word I have drawn a conclusion, and it is my desire to share with you the secret that compells a man to give up his life so that another might live.

When a man comes to Christ he denies himself, completely. The selfish and lustful man he once lived for is dead and now he lives to glorify Christ and Christ alone and his desires of are no longer His desires but rather the desires of God. And,

"God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth."

[1 Timothy 2:4]

Therefore since it is the desire of God for men to be saved it instinctively becomes the desire of the believer. The love that God has for lost men the believer now also have. But it is not just this that creates the obsession of the believer to lead others to Christ. You see, God not only loved us and desired for us to obtain salvation, but he completely gave up himself so that we might live.

"He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." [Philippians 2:7-8]

It is none other than true and absolute love that compelled our Lord to leave His glorious throne in Heaven to come to sinful earth and give His life so that sinful man might live. That is true love, for He gave up His own life that we might die to sin and live to righteousness through Christ [1 Peter 2:24].

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And just as it was the obsession of God for us to be saved, it is also our obsession to see other men saved. And just as love was so great for us that Christ was willing to die on a Cross for us, so also is our love so great for lost men that we are willing to go anywhere and suffer anything so that they may find life, true life in Christ.

"Greater love has none than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."

[John 15:13]

On Your Knees

The day has been tiring, wearisome, and long. You are tired and simply desire rest. It is late and you must wake early the next morning, so you begin making excuses to yourself as to why you should sleep. But in the middle of your selfishness a thought comes to mind, a thought of a friend, a thought of a dearly lost beloved friend who is without hope, without love, and without Christ.

And then suddenly your heart is burdened. Thoughts of eternal judgement strike pangs in your heart and your once drowsy eyes are now fully awakened. And then you hear a whisper calling, calling you to your knees.

So you fall upon your knees. The hours fly by, but you are pleading with God so intimately for the deliverance of this soul that you heed not the time. You keep praying, fighting sleep, fighting the flesh, for your love for this person has captivated your heart. But there are physical limitations, and without cause you fall asleep, still on your knees.

Time passes on and you awake and are started to find that you have drifted off. But there is not much more you can do, so you slip into bed fully trusting Christ for everything in the day to come.

Your alarm clock rings. It's early morning, before dawn, your set-apart early morning prayer time with the Lord. You quickly arise and are surprised to find strength for you thought you would be tired for you received not much sleep. But the Lord instead gave strength and zeal, so you again fall, right back on your knees.

The morning wanes on and daylight dawns and the day begins. You then see that person, that dear friend of yours to whom you love and spent the night in fervent prayer for. They pay not much attention to you, maybe a simple hey or a quick conversation about past events. But time is short and they move on.

They may never know of your love for them and your extreme longing for them to find freedom in Christ. But that is OK, for you have concluded that nothing is for yourself but rather all for them and the Glory of Christ. Deliverence is all you long for them to have, deliverence from this world and freedom in Christ.

And the day ends, night comes, and there you are again, on your knees.

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man

availeth much." [James 5:16]