April Beacon

“Brothers, my hearts desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” Romans 10:1

BECAUSE OF ME

Is there a soul who died / Who died because of me,

Forever shut away / From heaven and from Thee?

Is there a soul who died / Because I did not speak,

Because I did not point / The way his feet should seek,

Because I tightly clutched / My little earthly store,

Nor sent Thy messengers / Unto some distant shore?

Lord, let me not forget / That precious soul who died

That soul for love of whom / Thy Son was crucified.

That soul was dear as I / Unto the Saviour’s heart

Lost soul, who died because / I would not do my part!

I found that poem in a book written in 1938 by Martha Snell Nicholson entitled, Wings and Sky. I wonder if there are many today who share the burden she communicated in, BECAUSE OF ME.

In a related passage, we can hear the same call to action in John 4. Jesus had been speaking to someone needing Him - a Samaritan woman. Both she and Jesus were thirsty. He asked her for a drink, and later offered her one. (”If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10)

Then Jesus compared the two waters. One would lead to more thirst. But the water Jesus offered would, ‘…become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” It sounds like she took a drink. Many Samaritans believed because of her testimony. They heard the word and confessed, “…we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)

What a tremendous harvest. Precious souls, once lost, were now destined for an eternity in heaven. Jesus identified this potential when He said, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35b)

The fields are still ripe. The potential harvest is there. The Savior must be waiting for His people to open their eyes and see. And then speak gospel words of truth to the thirsty. When we are emboldened to do so, we know that their eternal destruction will not be BECAUSE OF ME.