This week, I had a teammate lose a close friend.
She has spent the past few days grieving, in a time of mourning for the loss.
My heart goes out to her. My heart goes out to her friends back at home. My heart goes out to all those people who faced a tragedy so unexpected.
Amidst the sadness, however, there is hope.
Her friend was a believer.
There may be mourning on earth, but there is great rejoicing in heaven.
There is a type of mourning, however, that brings complete grief in heaven AND on earth.
In Genesis 6:5-6, it is written, “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”
The Lord was GRIEVED that he had made man on earth, and HIS HEART WAS FILLED WITH PAIN.”
Now, most of us are quick to grieve when we lose someone to physical death.
It is natural.
We are devastated that we will not see our friend again while on this earth.
However, how many of us grieve because of sin?
How many of us grieve because we see a friend facing spiritual death?
Yes, we should mourn when someone dies.
BUT, we should mourn just as much when a friend as fallen away.
We should grieve when a friend has turned their back on the Living God.
Our hearts should be FILLED WITH PAIN.
Without Jesus, that friend is headed towards an eternity apart from Him.
Without Jesus, that friend is headed towards the lake of fire.
Doesn’t that FILL YOUR HEART WITH PAIN????
If you are reading this, I want you to WAKE UP!!!
There is a battle going on, a battle that we cannot see.
We need to have our hearts in tune with the very heart of God.
We need to grieve over what grieves him.
And when we grieve, we will see just how important it is to FIGHT for our friends.
In Jude 22-23, it is written, “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear–hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”
We are called to SNATCH people from the fire.
We are called to reach out and grab those that are hanging on by a thread, heading straight towards sure spiritual death.
We need to be aware of just HOW SERIOUS this battle is.
We cannot keep going through our lives working, eating, laughing, watching television, playing games, all the while FORGETTING that THERE IS A WAR GOING ON!
WAKE UP!!!
Honestly, WAKE UP!!
GRIEVE!!
Let your heart break for what breaks His.
FIGHT!!
Don’t let a day go by without remembering the reality of eternity.
The people around us are either in the LIGHT or in the DARK.
They are either headed to HEAVEN or headed to HELL.
This is a life or death situation, folks!
WAKE UP!!!!!!
