Mark 16:15 (KJV)
And he said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
I read a story of a lady that lost her wallet and wanted
to share a picture of grace that we can each learn from it. Following is her
account.
The phone rang. "Hello, Kathleen?"
"Yes," I answered, bracing myself to deal with
a telemarketer.
"We have your wallet; you left it at the
church."
I hadn't even noticed that my wallet was missing. Some
good soul had turned it in, and a woman from church kindly brought it to my
home. In it are my driver's license and other forms of identification, health
insurance cards, library card, photos of my son, some cash, credit cards, gift
cards, business cards, and the usual assortment of old receipts and coupons. My
wallet is a mini-representation of who I am. If it had not been returned to me,
I would have been in danger of identity theft. The repercussions of a lost
wallet make me shiver. I think about the lost time in tracking things down, the
lost cash, the cancelling and replacing of Ids, credit cards, etc., the
pictures of my little boy in the hands of a thief. ... I would not have been
able to conduct my life normally until I'd replaced most of what is in it. And
the longer I might have gone without knowing my wallet was missing (if it
hadn't been returned), the greater the difficulties and entanglements. I would
have eventually realized my loss, but when it was brought to my attention,
through an act of kindness, it relieved me of a whole lot of angst.
As I read her story I thought about how this is a picture of God's
grace. Those who are spiritually lost might not realize that they are missing
the essential element of their lives. They might be oblivious to that for a
long time. Or they might be scrambling about; trying to replace or fill the
hole left by what is lost, without realizing that it's held safely in the hand
of Another, just waiting to be given to them. In the wallet scenario, the
people at church did not wait for her to call and inquire if she had left her
wallet there. They knew she needed her wallet, called her, and actually brought
it to her. She was very, very grateful. They were proactive. Let’s compare that
with how shy we sometimes feel about telling others about Christ's love, about
the riches in Him, and about how our identity can be in Him.
Are we proactive in telling others about Christ? They may
or may not know that they are lost without Him, that they are missing that
which is most essential in life and death. Let us think about the anguish that
they may be spared if they knew, right now, that Christ loves them.
Dear Lord, we pray that You would help us to be led by
You to tell others about Your wonderful love. Help us be proactive today and
not just sit back. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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