The World Around Us Disappears

After reading Jonathan Edward's "Sinners in the hands of an angry God," and some of Clint's recent posts, I have been contemplating the condition of those who surround me everyday. I have become numb to the piercing truth that many people I know and love are inevitably bound for hell. Just writing that makes my heart cringe. The knowledge of this epidemic should give me an urgency to declare the true gospel, that they should repent and trust in Jesus or their sins will surely be paid for by an eternity in hell.

Although, all too often I find myself "encouraging" and "appeasing" those around me. I make them feel like their condition is acceptable, like convincing them they are not sick when I have the antedote to their ailment. I would like to think that I am gently bringing truth by example, but in all honesty, I am a self-centered coward.

I care more about what those people think of me than their disgusting eternal condition. I would rather be "nice" and tell people things like "Jesus loves you," in the guise of compassion, than to have the truest kind of love and compassion of communicating their rotting condition of sin and the cure of Jesus Christ. I would rather rationalize my lack of concern by saying that "God will draw them to the truth," but denying His use of me as His vessel of truth. It has been said of me that I am the queen of excuses, and in this regard, I cannot deny the stark truth that statement brings. My own actions condemning me before The Judge.

I am selfish. I am afraid. I love my own life too much to truly love those around me. I enjoy my comfortable christian bubble while the world around us disappears.