In recent articles, we have read about the Israelites giving so much the leadership had to tell them to stop. We also read about how God’s people tended to their own homes and interests while neglecting the house of the Lord and how they were condemned for it. We know from scripture that we are to grow and increase, both spiritually and in numbers of lost souls saved from eternal torment. We know we are to give to the Lord of the first fruits and to give happily, cheerfully, and liberally.
We know people in the world are seeking but being led astray into eternal punishment. Furthermore, the environment is increasingly hostile to Christians. We need a church standing strong in the community and the world, showing the light of God’s word to the lost. We are that beacon set on a hill to draw people to the Lord. We must seize every opportunity to reach the lost, the opportunity before us to facilitate saving the lost, and provide for future generations who come after us.
I am reminded of Esther and her stand for God’s people. Mordecai told her that perhaps “for just such a time as this” (Esther 4:14) God had put her in the position as Queen. She risked everything, including her life, to do her part for the salvation of God’s people.
What will YOU say to the Lord that you did when we were faced with “just such a time as this”? Will you do your part for the salvation of the lost in our community and throughout the world? Did YOU provide for the future generations that will come after us?
We do not have to risk everything including our lives. We simply need to make some sacrifice of time or money, both of which are God’s gifts to us and are ultimately his to begin with.
Next week is our “just such a time” to rise to do what we can at “just such a time as this.” Pray about this, and cheerfully and liberally do what is right!
For the elders, Gary Woodall