The Need To Share The Gospel, & Accept It, Is Urgent

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(6) Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, (7) for He is our God. We are the people He watches over, the flock under His care. If only you would listen to His voice today!’ (Psalm 95:6-7 <NLT>); ‘For He says <from Isaiah 49:8>, “In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.’ (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Donald Trump, in a recent newspaper report, stated the attempt on his life on 13 July 2024 has changed his viewpoint on life, and in particular has strengthened his relationship with God.  It is hoped that if the former President did not have a relationship before with Jesus, or a weak one, that this provides him the wake-up call that we are all mortal and we all need Jesus – and a strong relationship with Him – now as later may not be available to us.  Mr. Trump would not have had ‘later’ if there were just minute changes in time or trajectory, so I praise the Lord that he’s still alive to have this epiphany.

There is an urgency in Salvation, as there is an urgency in listening to the Lord and obeying Him.  The Psalmist (likely King David) as well as Paul writing to the Corinthians understood the urgency aligning with God.  There are several takes on this but they all lead to the same conclusion.  We look first at human nature.  The longer we put something off the greater the chance we won’t get around to doing it.  An example are the attic steps for our home.  There is a folding pull-down ladder assembly in our attic that needs to be installed.  They have been in the attic since 1990, when I bought them to install in the home. 

I meant to install them soon after the house was done, but didn’t. My father-in-law wanted to put them in (I said ‘no’, as he wanted to put them in cutting a couple of trusses while I believed (and still do) only one needs cut to fit it in), and there have been others who mentioned helping, but they’ve never moved for 34 years now.  The urgency to put them in has waned.  (An attic in Florida is like being on the surface of the sun.) The same happens when one is given God’s Word but there is no following-up on discussing with them about them accepting the Lord.  I’m positive there are many who attend church for years but have never actually accepted Jesus as their Lord, as the urgency waned over those years into complacency.

There is also the urgency due to the uncertainly of our lives.  Tomorrow is a day that we think is coming but the possibility for all of us that it will not.  Someone may say they will need time to think and pray to decide to follow Jesus, and that needs to be respected, but the warning needs to be given that waiting may cost them eternity with Christ.  A wrong turn on the way home into traffic, a falling box while shopping, or taking one bite too big to swallow may end their life and with it their opportunity to Salvation. 

We too must be urgent to share Jesus with others.  We see the changes that have come quickly in our world that are turning it darker, away from Jesus.  For people to make a decision they must have a choice, and they need to be given the opportunity to have Jesus as a choice.  Today is that day others must hear the Word so they can today choose Jesus.  For some, they may need a little tug on the ear to hasten their decision, as ‘later’ may never come.