Topic: God Is Watching You [Tuesday December 19, 2017]
Text: Proverbs 24:1-20
Key Verse: “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” (Proverbs 24:12).
Among the numerous words of admonition the Lord issues out in our text is the unfeigned rebuke for those who neglect the work of soul-winning. If the totality of the Scriptures from the Old Testament through the New is to demonstrate the love God displayed in sending Jesus Christ to die for the sinner, then it goes without saying that soul-winning by saved Christians is dearest to God’s heart.
If the condition of the lost was not a grave concern to God, He would not have sent His Son to the world. This is why God’s words in verses 11 and 12 bear irrefutable relevance and urgency: “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” Those who have received the grace of God and have been forgiven their sins are warned that they have no excuse not to evangelise. They cannot claim not to know the demand of the Great Commission on all Christians.
They cannot claim that they are not aware of the eternal doom awaiting unrepentant sinners. The Bible says God will not accept such excuses. God says, He knows the heart of every man and will judge those who put up needless reasons for not sacrificing time, energy, money, skill and talent to “Go… into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” and thus deliver them from the wrath to come. No excuse for failing to preach the gospel is acceptable to God (Proverbs 24:10). After all, everyone comes to the knowledge of the gospel and salvation as a result of the Word preached by some other people who obeyed the Lord’s commandment.
Thought for the day: Excuse making is not tolerable in matters of soul-winning.
Bible Reading in one Year: Revelation 18-20
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.