EZEKIEL 21:1-7 – “The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuaries. Prophesy against the land of Israel and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am against you and will draw my sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked. Because I will cut off from you both righteous and wicked, therefore my sword shall be drawn from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. And all flesh shall know that I am the LORD. I have drawn my sword from its sheath; it shall not be sheathed again. “As for you, son of man, groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes. And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that it is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord GOD.
THEME OF THE DAY: BURDENED FOR THOSE OUTSIDE OF CHRIST. What if the Lord left us as the only voice of His gospel to a lost world? Obviously, this isn’t true, but if the responsibility of getting the gospel into the world was left to us alone, would the Great Commission die with us?
Every Christian is called to share the gospel. In his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald Whitney sums up our responsibility for evangelism well . . .
“While it is true that God gifts some for ministry as evangelists, He calls all believers to be His witnesses and provides them with both the power to witness and a powerful message. Every evangelist is called to be a witness, but only a few witnesses are called to the vocational ministry of an evangelist. Just as each Christian, regardless of spiritual gift or ministry, is to love others, so each believer is to evangelize whether or not his or her gift is that of evangelist.”
However, there is an essential necessity if we are going to be consistent in sharing the gospel. It is a consistency of love; of being burdened to see those outside of Christ, come to Christ. Charles Spurgeon once said, “He that would be a soul-winner must first be a soul-lover.” Jesus shows us this truth from His own heart . . .
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest”” (Matthew 9:35-38).
Such a burden for the lost produces a love that aches for what their destiny is without Christ. In today’s scripture, God commands such a heart and burden while pointing to the certainty of their destruction . . .
“As for you, son of man, groan; with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes. And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that it is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 21:6-7).
When was the last time we groaned and wept over the lost? Jesus did. Paul did. It is time we do as well. May the Lord give us such a burden for those outside of Christ.
PRAYER: Father, make me see sinners the way You and Your Son do and be active in sharing Your Gospel.
REFLECTION: Christians silent with the gospel and lacking concern for the lost are living contrary to God’s Word.