Topic: Where Are The Shepherds?[DCLM Daily Manna 22 March 2019 Daily Devotional]
Text: Matthew 9:27-38 (KJV)
Key Verse: “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
MESSAGE:
As at March 2018, the world’s population was estimated to be approximately 7.6 billion. 2.91 billion of them live in unreached people groups with little or no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. According to Joshua Project, there are approximately 16,500 unique people groups in the world with about 6,900 of them considered unreached. The vast majority (95%) of these least reached groups exist in the 10/40 window and less than 10% of missionary work is done among these people. Another missionary-minded group called Finishing the Task, said there are 440 unengaged, unreached people groups with populations over 25,000, together numbering over 24 million souls that are still beyond the reach of the gospel. These 440 are perhaps the neediest of the needy as they are unengaged, which means that they have no contact with church, missionary or mission agency. Thus, no one has yet taken responsibility to tell them about Jesus Christ.
The summary of Christ’s earthly ministry is that He “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him (Acts 10:38). He never considered the multitude of people that came to Him for help as mere statistics. What people see in the multitude determines how they react to them or treat them. Politicians, business people, advertisers, etc. see the multitudes from different perspectives.
The human soul is beyond statistics to God and it should also be to those who are God’s. If we have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, we must like Him, seek to have a shepherd’s heart and compassion on the many who live around us daily without the knowledge of the true God. We must, in utmost compassion, reach out to them before it is too late.
Thought For The Day: It is virtuous to be a shepherd to wandering souls.
The Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 4-6
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
