Does Your Heart Ache Like This?

Paul had an aching heart. He was a Jew who had come to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Master, recognising Jesus as the promised Messiah from God. But, apart from a small number, the Jewish people rejected Jesus and handed him over to be crucified. Paul longed for his fellow Jews to repent and to believe in the Lord Jesus; he was even willing to be cast off from the Lord himself if it might mean that the Jewish people would come to Christ. "They're my family; I grew up with them" he said. His heart ached because they stubbornly rejected Jesus.

I'm sure we all have relatives, people dear to us, who have not yet come to the Lord Jesus in repentance and faith. Does this matter to us? Do we really, really care that these people we love so much are on the road to everlasting lostness away from God? Is your heart aching because of their unbelief? I speak to myself as I write these words and am challenged by them.

It mattered deeply to Paul as he thought about so many of his fellow Jews who were lost — lost in spite of all the spiritual advantages they had. Maybe your friends have also had many spiritual advantages but they still reject the Saviour.

Pray for them now and speak to them about this when you can.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I do plead for those I love so much, that they may come to know your salvation. Amen.