30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.
31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
Proverbs 11:30-31
As I am writing this devotional, there is a pandemic of a virus going around called the Swine Flu, or as it is known scientifically, H1N1. It is potentially deadly- many have died from it already though most who have contracted it are made very uncomfortable for several days. Thankfully, there is an antiviral serum that is being manufactured and is now available in small doses. Currently there is enough of this serum available to inoculate health care workers so that they can treat other patients when the time comes. We are grateful to them and the research which made this treatment possible, and thank God for them sharing it with us.
What if they had decided not to release this serum? What if the researchers and the pharmaceutical manufacturers determined that it would be too costly to produce? What if they had decided that there would not be able to make any money on the serum and decided not to release it? From a strictly business standpoint, this would not make sense. Certainly they may stand to lose money initially. But to produce and release this serum only makes sense because if the H1N1 virus wipes out a significant number of our population the way that the Spanish Flu did in 1918, not only would the pharmaceutical companies be responsible for the deaths of millions, but they would discover a significant portion of their lucrative market destroyed virtually overnight. It is not only in the population's best interest- but it is also in the best interest of those who research and manufacture these drugs.
The motive for self-preservation is strong in all of us, but never to the point of selfishness. Throughout this proverb Solomon discusses how important it is to be generous and not to hold back from sharing what we have with others. Most of all, Solomon says that "he who wins souls is wise" (v. 30). I know that many Christians fear sharing about what Christ has done with them. They are afraid of rejection and fear consequences of losing a friendship. Its true sometimes friendships are lost and Christians do get rejected- in the same way sometimes people have adverse reactions to serums and medications. Its possible that they may even die. But the deaths of a few are a relatively minor consequence compared to the saving of millions of lives. The same is true about sharing your faith in Christ. I've had a few doors slammed in my face over the years. Only one came close to hurting me when I was physically ushered off his property when trying to share Christ with him. But God showed how profitable that was when two months later this entire family who rejected my witness to them showed up at church and came down the aisle to be saved. The man who caused me to bump my head on the door of my car apologized with tears in his eyes and asked for forgiveness. I told him a minor bump on the head was worth many times what I was now seeing: him coming to Christ as well as his whole family.
It simply does not make sense if we do not continue to win souls. Not only will millions of people go to a Christless eternity in hell, but the church will die out in our own generation unless we get serious about soul winning. Not only does Christ demand this of us, but so does our own self-preservation. Our selfishness may not desire to do it, but our survival instinct ought to insure that we do.
Prayer: Lord God help me see the wisdom of winning souls to Christ, but let me apply this wisdom in practical ways today. I am not persuasive enough or forward enough in myself- I need to trust You to speak through me. Help me to trust You to do this in Jesus Name, Amen
Have a blessed day!
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