Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.”
Jeremiah 11:18-19
Danger of Sharing the Gospel
Daily Devotion – September 26, 2018
Devotion based on Jeremiah 11:18-19
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On August 15, 2015, a Christian pastor in India was abducted from his home by anti-Christian forces. They had warned him on four previous occasions to stop sharing the gospel. He refused. Family members found his body the next day. Shortly after that, the family buried their beloved son, husband, father, and brother, saying goodbye to a man who only wanted to share the love of God in Christ Jesus our Savior. In an interview with a Christian organization, the wife of the slain pastor wept as she told a reporter, “I am happy that my husband…died for Christ. He is in heaven. I am happy with that. I cannot lose the faith. I am still faithful. God forgive them. I forgive the person who did all of this.”
The prophet Jeremiah could relate to the danger this pastor faced because he was in danger for much the same reason. God sent him to proclaim a message of severe warning to his Old Testament people who had turned away from the Lord to worship idols. Naturally, Jeremiah’s message enraged the people and they didn’t want to hear it; in fact, they were plotting to kill him.
Most of us have never faced the possibility of death for the privilege of sharing God’s Word, but that message is still despised and those who share it are still hated by the unbelieving world we live in. Should that stop us? Of course not! It didn’t stop Jesus. His love for all people moved him to risk and sacrifice everything—even himself—to establish the way of salvation for us.
That pastor in India knew the love of Christ. He shared the gospel of salvation with his people even though he was in great danger. He prayed that some would hear and believe God’s saving message and he took the risk. God’s love filled him with love for his people.
Jeremiah continued to proclaim God’s Word for the same reason. And so should we.
Prayer:
Dearest Savior, may your love for us fill us with love for all people and make us willing to share the good news of salvation no matter what the risk. Amen.
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