Love For The Lost
Love For The Lost – Following Christ’s Example
Have you ever had a conversation with a person who is spiritually lost?
There’s a person we know who doesn’t believe in God, and he shows obvious disdain regarding anything related to Christianity.
He wants us to know it too.
We’re always friendly, even when he tries to start something.
A little jab here, and a little jab there, and always when we least expect it.
His last little “zinger” was to grumble . . . “and now we got a church on every corner.”
Even though he was obviously exaggerating about churches “on every corner,” he was clearly not happy about seeing more places of worship.
Here’s the thing: churches popping up everywhere or not, that’s not the point.
If only he knew what lies ahead for unsaved people.
Going to church isn’t what brings you to Heaven.
Salvation is found through Jesus alone.
The place you don’t want to go is Hell.
Hell is real.
A destiny in Hell means everlasting punishment. At that point it is too late for a lost soul to be rescued.
The following Bible passage should break our hearts for the people we know who shut Jesus out of their lives.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. – Matthew 13:41-43, (ESV).1
Spiritually-lost people are in desperate need of the Savior.
Their hearts can change – just like your life and my life changed when we fully became Christ followers.
There’s a great example of a life change in the Book of Luke. You can read about it here.
Despised by the people, the tax collector Zacchaeus experienced the soul-saving message of grace from Jesus Himself.
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:9-10, (ESV). 2
Love For The Lost Among our Friends and Family
Do you know any unsaved people in your sphere of influence?
It is our Christian responsibility to remember them in our prayers.
Pray for their faith and salvation.
Recently, I came across a beautifully written quotation that I’d like to share here.
It’s from Andrew Murray’s book titled, Not My Will.
I believe it’s worth taking to heart.
May we come to realize that love for the lost is a most glorious aspect of God’s will. May we recognize that love for the lost is one of the clearest evidences of true godliness, and a sure way to the full joy of salvation. Let us continue to pray earnestly, then, that God will fill our hearts with this love of His. Love for the lost is too often looked upon as something exceptional, but be assured that it is God’s will for every one of His children; it is an indispensable part of your spiritual life. – Andrew Murray, influential Christian theologian.3
Can you think of someone you know right now whom you need to pray for?
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1-2 All Scripture Quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
3 Murray, Andrew. Not My Will: A Contemporary Translation of a Devotional Classic. The Zondervan Corporation, 1977.
