Have You Saved The World Today
HAVE YOU SAVED THE WORLD TODAY?
. If you were to survey the average man on the street with this question, “Have you saved the world today?”, probably 99.9% would give you the answer “no”, along with some pretty weird looks. After all, how many of us have the kind of influence that allows our actions to have widespread repercussions? Sure, each of us exercises a bit of control over our own little corner of our world, but save the world? Hardly.
. But I would like to propose a thought, not to save the world but to show just how much one average Christian can do without even realizing what he or she is doing. When we are faced with a choice to act or not act on something, we always know the results of our actions, or inactions, as the case may be. But we can never know the results of the alternative because we can’t do both, act and not act, simultaneously.
. If you’re totally confused by now, let me give an example. Let me set a scenario that is part fact, part fiction and I think you will be surprised at the implications.
. The setting is in central Europe in the year 1905. It’s a peaceful time there and everyone is quite happy and prosperous. Our main character is a man we will call ‘Hans’ who is a born-again, onfire ‘Bible thumper’. Hans is known as the local Jesus freak, although that term would have to wait a few decades to be applied. This ‘Bible thumper’ would talk to anyone who would listen about Jesus, God, sin, etc. You know the type – a real problem sometimes.
. Well, one day Hans came across a young man about sixteen years old and as usual started in about Jesus. The young man laughed at him and went on his way. But a few days later Hans again met the young man and again told him about Jesus’ love and saving grace. This time the young man listened a little longer but left again, unsaved. This went on for several weeks, until finally, the young man accepted Jesus as his personal savior and became a baptized Christian.
. Following his baptism, the young man joined a local church, sang in the choir and became an active supporter of the church, even becoming a deacon after a few years. He met a lovely girl, married, had two sons and became a shopkeeper in the village where he worked for forty five years. All the while, he was a devout Christian with a faith that deepened each passing year. During these years, he led many others to Christ, building up his treasures in Heaven. At the ripe age of seventy five this man went to be with his Lord and Savior.
. Big deal, you say; where’s the part about saving the world? Well, here it is – suppose the young man that was saved had been named Adolf Hitler! This Christian, Hans, would have single-handedly (with God’s help) saved the lives of nearly twenty million people and untold millions from suffering and misery. Hans impact on the world would have been second only to that of Jesus Christ himself!
. Nice story, huh? My point is this; would Hans have had any idea of the import of his belief and faith? We all know the result of there not being a ‘Hans’ at the time. Now, we may not save the world from another Hitler, but we will never know until we fail to witness our faith and then it’s too late. The person you lead to the cross may not be a future mass murderer but what would his or her children and grandchildren be if they grew up without Christian training? So our actions can actually affect several generations and all the people they interact with! So you see, we can never know just how much impact we have on the future as well as the present. Maybe when we get to heaven all this can be revealed in detail but for now, each and every soul is important to God and even if it isn’t a future Hitler, this person is loved by God and is important for that reason alone. So next time you witness your faith to someone, remember ‘Hans’ and what happened without him.
Submitted by Sheldon Crook
Computers for Christ – Chicago