“In a town in New England, a well was being dug. When the work was nearly finished, while one man was still at the bottom, the earth caved in and buried him. Instantly the alarm was sent out, and mechanics, farmers, merchants, and lawyers hurried breathlessly to the rescue. Ropes, ladders, spades, and shovels were brought by eager, willing hands. “Save him, O save him!” was the cry.
Men worked with desperate energy, till the sweat stood in beads upon their brows and their arms trembled with the exertion. At length, a pipe was thrust down, through which they shouted to the man to answer if he were still alive. The response came, “Alive, but make haste. It is fearful in here.” With a shout of joy, they renewed their efforts, and at last, he was reached and saved, and the cheer that went up seemed to pierce the very heavens. “He is saved!” echoed through every street in the town.
Was this too great zeal and interest, too great enthusiasm, to save one man? It surely was not; but what is the loss of temporal life in comparison with the loss of a soul? If the threatened loss of a life will arouse in human hearts a feeling so intense, should not the loss of a soul arouse even deeper solicitude in men who claim to realize the danger of those apart from Christ? Shall not the servants of God show as great zeal in laboring for the salvation of souls as was shown for the life of that one man buried in a well?” (Gospel Workers, pp. 31–32).
What is holding you back?
“I am timid. I am not eloquent. I am introverted. I am afraid.” These thoughts might hold you back when you consider the call to labor for souls. But would you focus on your limitations if your brother’s life depended on you waving down a cab or calling for help? No! You would forget all about your disposition and fears, fueled by the urgency to save a life.
I’ve been there myself. I have forgotten my self-consciousness and run to a bank in another town, in house clothes, without a thought of myself—all because I was in the race to preserve a brother’s health during a medical emergency.
The Bible is filled with stories of people who enlisted in God’s army not based on their strengths or abilities but fueled by this divine mandate: Save him! For this reason, Paul could say, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1, KJV). Elsewhere, he proclaims, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16, KJV).
Isaiah, after confessing, “And my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength” (Daniel 10:8, KJV), could still respond to God’s call: “Here am I; send me” (Isaiah 6:8, KJV). There’s Moses, who left the sheep to shepherd a nation despite his lack of eloquence and distrust in himself. Think also of David, the humble shepherd who faced Goliath; Esther, who risked her life to save her people; and Gideon, the least in his family, who became a mighty man of valor.
And now, there’s you.
Like the words of the hymn “Hark! the Voice of Jesus Calling”, “Let none hear you idly saying, ‘There is nothing I can do.’”
Look around you. There are souls on the verge of entering or already neck-deep in abusive relationships, addictions, or despair. There are souls ignorant of the presence of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary and the solemnity of the antitypical Day of Atonement. They do not know that probation will soon close, with the irrevocable proclamation, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11, KJV).
God is soon to execute judgment on this fallen world and destroy sin and sinners, leaving “neither root nor branch” (Malachi 4:1, KJV). Yet millions are caught in the devil’s endless cycle of deception, blind to the impending doom.
What can you do?
- Give a Bible study to someone seeking truth.
- Visit a sick neighbor or participate in a medical mission.
- Pray with someone struggling or discouraged.
- Share a tract, book, pamphlet, podcast, sermon or blog posts that points to Christ and answers a Bible question.
- Teach a child about Jesus or the stories of the Bible.
- Offer wise counsel based on biblical principles to a colleague or friend.
- Stand for God in your workplace, letting others know the reason for your faith and hope.
No longer should you appeal to your limitations and weaknesses. No longer should you say, “I am busy.” These excuses pale in light of the immense need. God calls for men and women, as Paul charged Timothy, to “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2, KJV).
The Lord does not leave you to respond alone.
Are you weak? He will strengthen. Are you ignorant? He will enlighten. Are you wounded? He will heal. (Ministry of Healing, p. 71).
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest (Joshua 1:9, KJV).
Your brother is dying, and you can save him. Will you answer the call?
May God strengthen you as you do.