Friday, August 25, 2023
Recently, I read several books by Dr. Christopher Yuan, who spent much of his early adult life immersed in a life of drugs and sexual immorality. It was a lifestyle that sent him to prison.
Prior to his time in prison, many would have considered him “unreachable.” Yet, through the faithfulness of his mother (who came to Christ after watching her life fall apart around her) and father, Dr. Yuan now has his doctorate from Moody Bible Institute, is a professor at Moody, and speaks in many Christian circles. His transformation is a perfect example of what Paul was referring to when he wrote to the Christians in Colossae.
Colossians 1:21-22
21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
Dr. Yuan reviled his parents on numerous occasions, cursed God, and even threw away the Bible his father left him. However, through the grace and mercy of Christ’s death, he was reborn. The Gospel message penetrated into his hard heart and brought him from death to life. He now brings light into the darkness of many souls because he too saw his own wretchedness in the cross.
When I hear stories like Dr. Yuan’s, I am humbled and awed. I am ashamed of my own heart when I look at people around me and think them “unredeemable.” I am ashamed to admit that I often doubt the potential of the Gospel, which is the most powerful message in the world and can bring the dead back to life.
We don’t all have a story like Dr. Yuan’s, but we are all equally lost in God’s eyes. We must all face our own sinfulness before a holy God and repent. Through this repentance, we can see what a gift we have been given. When we see this gift for what it really is, it should compel us to love the strangers around us. It should make us desperate to share this freedom with those who are dead in their sins, just as we once were.
Christ’s love is for all. It is not for us to decide who deserves it.
Questions:
Have you really reflected on the incredible message of the Gospel? When you see lost souls around you, do you love them like Jesus, or do you consider them lost for a reason? Are you afraid or ashamed to speak of the Gospel to those around you?
Next Steps:
Think about your own story of coming to Christ. Write it down, or at least think through it, so that you are able to share what Christ has done for you when God brings a stranger into your life who is hungry for his love.
Prayer:
Day 12 Prayer Focus - For the Economy and Businesses (Philippians 4:19)
Heavenly Father, thank you for each business that makes up the economy of our community and region. You know the details of each one, and we pray they are firmly established in you. May their work reflect your generous heart. We ask you to show them great favor. Give each business leader your wisdom through the challenges and opportunities placed before them, and may whatever they put their hand to have a legacy of eternal impact for your glory and the good of our community. Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
1 John 4:10-11
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.