Maybe We Like It A Little Too Much Here

# 661 Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 13:10 "And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

The disciples have inquired as to when the end will come, and this is as close to a definitive answer as the Bible gives us. It's not going to happen until the gospel has been preached to all the nations.

The early church really understood this and worked hard toward that end. They had heard firsthand from Peter, James, and John about GLORY from their experience on the Mount of transfiguration. As the betrothed bride of Christ, they earnestly desired to be with Jesus, but they knew He wouldn't return until the gospel was preached to all people.

Just look at that map in your Bible that shows the missionary journeys of the apostles. The pattern was to take the gospel from Jerusalem out to the known world! They earnestly desired to have the mission completed in their lifetime.

How bad did they want it? Listen to a small part of what Paul suffered as he sought to bring the Good News to the ends of the earth:

2Co 11:25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;”

The Apostle Paul sacrificed greatly but as the Keith Green song “Asleep in the Light” says. “Jesus rose from the dead, but we can't even get out of bed.”

Why don't we have the same passion? If I didn't know any better, I'd say it looks like we like it too much here on earth the way it is. Maybe, we need a new jolt of reality, a new reminder from heaven that our time here is but a vapor, as is our material blessings.

Or maybe we just need to really start believing in the existence of heaven. If it's as great as we say it is, (it's not, it's infinitely better than we can even imagine!) Shouldn't we earnestly desire to bring as many with us as possible?

Father, for the love of You, for the love of Jesus, for the love of others, light an evangelical fire in our hearts. Give us renewed passion for the lost.