Adapted from Here I Am, Lord by Luis Palau, all rights reserved.
I have been reading about Samuel, who was a little boy if you remember. In 1 Samuel 3, he was only 6 years old if I’ve got that right. And the Lord calls him in the night. He says, “Samuel, Samuel.” Samuel thought it was the high priest and says, “You called me?” The high priest wakes up and says, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”
So the Lord calls Samuel again. And again, having never heard the voice of the Lord, he thinks it’s the priest. So he runs off to the priest and is told the same thing. The third time the priest finally gets it. It’s the Lord speaking to Samuel. So he says, “When the Lord says, ‘Samuel,’ you say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening” (I Samuel 3:1-10).
Samuel was just a little boy, but the Lord spoke to him. As adults, we must ask ourselves, “What is the Lord saying to me? What is my calling? What does God want me to do?” Whatever the Lord places on your heart, do it in obedience by faith and go in the direction where God is leading you.
Why Do We Go?
Because God said “Go.”
God didn’t say go to the nice places only or go to the easy places. He said to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel” (Mark 16:15). I thank God for those who taught me the Bible as a young guy in Argentina. I was brought up with the understanding that you study if you’re a kid, you work if you’re a dad, but no matter how old you are your life is devoted to one big thing: spreading the Gospel, preaching the Good News, and saving souls…because people die mighty fast. Death is 100% in every generation.
Because people are lost.
That’s the second reason I carry on. People without Christ are lost, and lost people are dying. Since I was a little boy I was taught from the Bible that if you die without Christ, you’re lost. And that’s why you evangelize. People may insult you left and right, sneer at you like you’re an idiot, call you names, and put you down. I don’t like it anymore than you like it. But the reason we go is that they’re lost without Christ. They need to be rescued.
Because we are led by the Spirit.
The third reason I do what I do is because I feel that the Holy Spirit fires you up if you really listen to His voice. Whatever the Lord leads you to do…if He calls you in the night…if you hear His voice…if when you can’t sleep at night, instead of taking a sleeping pill, pray for goodness sakes! Say to the Lord: “Lord, if you want to keep me awake, speak to me! I want to hear your voice. What shall I do, Lord?”
Because it takes effort.
The fourth reason I do what I do is because it takes effort. Evangelism, strangely, isn’t welcomed by most people. There are actually very few who welcome it. Some may see the crowds at a festival and say, “Wow! That must have been easy.” Let me tell you, it was not easy! What you don’t hear are the stories of arguments and opposition and this and that. So yes, preaching the Gospel demands push and expense. But in the end, the fruit is fantastic and people come to Jesus Christ. It’s all worth the effort.
Because it gives honor to Jesus Christ.
Finally, why else am I committed? It’s to honor my Savior Jesus Christ. Remember the famous passage: “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
But our blessed Lord also affirms, “Those who honor me I will honor” (I Samuel 2:30). And: “The honors of the world fade away; they are a crown that will not last” (I Cor. 9:25). O Lord Jesus, I want to honor you!
Even if not a single soul is saved in this cow town or that big city, I’m committed to honoring my Savior. I want to lift up Jesus Christ, speak well of Jesus Christ, honor Him, speak about the Cross, and speak about salvation. Even if nobody is converted—which is an extreme statement—but even if no one is converted, it is still worth honoring Jesus Christ and speaking well of the Son of God. Be faithful to proclaim the Good News.
Eternity in Mind
In the end, brothers and sisters, the only thing that remains is what we do for eternity. And if the Lord is speaking to you, then respond to Him! Let God use you so that when you come to the end of the race you can truly say:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing”
2 Timothy 4:7-8
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