Last night as Sarah and I spent time with good friends and we were talking about our children’s futures and something that I thought was very insightful was said and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.
“I am capable of bringing people into this world that have the ability to be saved by God but it is not my responsibility to save them. Only God can do that.”
I have been thinking all day about the ramifications of this statement.
Maybe for some it would sound like an excuse not to speak the Gospel to our children, friends, co-workers etc. but I see it as an exciting reason to do the opposite. The weight of working feverishly to cause people to follow God is not attractive and really makes me feel like I shouldn’t even try because I will fail. But when my responsibility is only to share who Christ is and the his Gospel that has saved me and God does the rest… that sounds exciting.
And when I think about my kids. This takes such huge pressure off of my shoulders. I will lead them as best I can and teach them everyday of who God is but I am not responsible for saving them because only he can save them and bring them into his kingdom.
It brings to memory this text.
Then he said to his disciples, ”The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9: 37-38
He is Lord of the harvest. He controls it. Owns it and reaps it’s benefits.
I like this.
