Just the other day I was telling someone about a situation that is at the very top of my prayer list. With every ounce of assurance and an almost angelic glow, I boasted, "God is going to do something amazing," Barely had the words left my tongue, when his face crinkled and his lip curled into a sneer. "He's not," he rebuked. "That's just the way it is; that's the way the world is. He's not going to do anything." And he walked off in disgust. His level of disdain came as a shock to me. My faith has been the target of his irreverent stand-up for years. He is "above" belief in an invisible deity of any sort. He believes he is "too intelligent" to submit to any higher power. And he definitely thinks God is a hoax perpetrated by the church to gain control over "little people" who are too weak to survive on their own. But the sort of bitterness and repugnance he exhibited on this occasion was new.
Despite his derision, the guy is generally likeable. He has compassion for animals. He doesn't steal, or drink and drive. He takes good care of his family. He tries to take good care of his body. Without even realizing, I began to excuse his comments. How was he raised? How had he been hurt, to become so cynical? Surely, he didn't really mean it. The plain truth is, however, this guy is a God-hater; his words are only the evidence of rebellion within his heart. When he stands before God, his upbringing will not be an issue; who or what hurt him will be irrelevant. All his good deeds, his beautiful children, his manicured lawn, his promotions, his sensible behavior -- will count for nothing. His response to the Gospel is the only thing that will result in an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ or condemn him to hell. Right now, his response is pretty clear, and hell is his destination. But it doesn't have to be that way.
I tell you this because, I think, far too often Christians fall into the trap of believing -- at least on some level -- Satan's big lie: you just have to be a good person. We may not believe it for ourselves, but when it comes to preaching the Gospel to everyone we meet, do we skip over "the good guys," the ones that seem to have it all together, the ones who lead pretty respectable lives? As I've said, this guy has ridiculed me for my beliefs, but I guess it was just a little easier to hear him poke fun at me than say something so hateful about a good, good God. This guy has always been honest with me; I've always known where he stood. But his latest response has brought an awareness of his poverty I never had before. His latest response has shown me just how urgent his need is. His latest response means I can no longer see him as anything but lost, I can no longer see my role as anything but a watchman, and I can no longer speak only of what I believe, but I must speak of what he needs to believe. His latest response has caused me to be just a bit more mindful of, prayerful for, and truthful toward "the good guys."
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