I have been listening to a lot of Ravi Zacharias recently and it has done a lot to grow my faith and confidence in what it is I believe. I just wanted to share a quick encouragement from something he said in one of his talks. As someone who travels the world on a regular basis, Ravi said that it is very easy for us in America to forget the weight of sin. As Matthew 19:24 says, it is incredibly hard for the wealthy and materially blessed to focus on God. As it turns out, the vast, vast majority of us in the United States enjoy comforts that Solomon would only have dreamt of. Having everything we desire disguises our immediate need for a savior. Someone who lives in abject poverty or in danger of violence everyday has much less trouble recognizing their need for Christ and feeling the burden of the sin that separates them from Him.
Remembering that, even though here in America we have so much wealth and material security, everyone is heavily burdened by the weight of their own iniquity is something that we can take as an encouragement. We have not been sent into a world to preach a gospel to people who don't really need it. Just the opposite; everyone is in desperate need of it and at some level, even if it is disguised underneath a mountain of wealth, feels the burden of that need. We must trust that God will prepare the hearts of those we share the gospel with. And when we do share the good news, and it is rejected, we must continue sharing and praying that God will soften their hearts for the next gospel opportunity.
Remembering that, even though here in America we have so much wealth and material security, everyone is heavily burdened by the weight of their own iniquity is something that we can take as an encouragement. We have not been sent into a world to preach a gospel to people who don't really need it. Just the opposite; everyone is in desperate need of it and at some level, even if it is disguised underneath a mountain of wealth, feels the burden of that need. We must trust that God will prepare the hearts of those we share the gospel with. And when we do share the good news, and it is rejected, we must continue sharing and praying that God will soften their hearts for the next gospel opportunity.
