Day 279 "What Do You See in Your City?"

Passage: Acts 18:10b

[The Lord continuing to speak to Paul in a vision] "...because I have many people in this city."

Devotion:

When I first read our scripture today, I said to myself, "Wait a minute; Paul's ministry had only just begun, so there couldn't have been a lot of Christians in the city. So why would the Lord say, 'I have many people in this city.'?" You have to realize at this point, "His people" were prostitutes and others, people currently engaged in drinking and carousing; men and women who were living un-Godly lives. But from the Lord's point of view they were "His people" regardless. Then the light went on and I realized that the Lord sees a Christian before they become one, and I thought, "What would I have seen had I looked at Corinth back then? And more importantly, what do I see right now in my city? Do I see floundering people who have not yet met the Lord, or do I see just more people-waste?"

Isn't that an interesting term: "people-waste"? Clearly that is my word and not the Lord's because He sees future Christians mixed in with all the people who are caught up in pursuing careers, crime, material possessions, egotism, the occult, drug use, sensual gratification, alcoholism, etc. I see the trash that people are making of their lives and wonder how to make a difference; God sees the gems, and asks, "Who will I send with the message of salvation?"

Questions to Ponder:

We don't need to bring Christ to church because He's already there, yet that is where we spend the majority of our "Christian" service, ministering to other Christians. Where Christ is truly needed is in the brothels, bars, work places, and street corners of our cities. God sees the heart; not the activity, location, or behavior of people. What do you see? Who will He use to reach out to those who need the gospel the most? Will it be you? How can you make yourself available? What do you need to do to prepare your heart? Are you willing?