Empty-Handed

Saturday 31 October
READ: I Cor. 9:16-23
MORE LESSON: Ezek. 3:1-7

There is a song I grew up singing as a young believer in the Deeper Life Christian Ministries. Each time I sang it then, it was always with a passion and a burden. The burden and passion have not left me even now. The song has become a prayer and labour, something I pray about daily and work at. Sing it with me this morning and pray about it: Must I go an empty handed, thus my dear redeemer meet, not one soul with which to greet Him, must I empty handed go.

You know why the song hits me so much each time? It is because of my knowledge of God's great investment upon my life, the price that Jesus paid to save a wretched one like me. It makes me cry to Heaven: Oh Lord, don't let me return back home to You like an ingrate, empty-handed. Only an ingrate or an ignorant person will go to Heaven without a soul in his hand with which to say thank you to Jesus. Think of His sacrifice of putting on humanity although He is God, the humility of subjecting Himself to earthly parents yet the Father of all; the Creator of motion learning to crawl. Imagine Him before Pilate answering framed up charges as an accused. What about the soldiers slapping Him, spitting on Him and mocking Him?

Have you ever thought of Jesus in Gethsemane? He manifested humanity and made a request that could have been positively answered by the Father. However, He tasted denial and although He prayed with sweat coming out like blood, He never got it. All these just to purchase my forgiveness. With all that done for me, I will be wicked to refuse to tell sinners (friends, classmates, relations and neighbours) about life in Christ.

The only proof of appreciation that you and I can give Jesus is not to keep quiet while sinners go to hell. We must tell them, if by any means we shall be able to snatch some back to God and get to Heaven with a gift of souls.

Prayer/Action
*Ask God to forgive all your indifference to soul winning and to give you passion for sinners.
*Tell the Lord you will not go to Heaven empty handed, by His grace.
Set a target of how many souls you will win for the Lord this year and begin to work at it NOW!

PROPHETIC PRAYER
Keeper of Israel, thank You for keeping and preserving my destiny from the wickedness of the day and the night all through this month, in Jesus’ mighty name.