Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Four Things We Should Know
He has planted eternity in the human heart...
--Ecclesiastes 3:11
There are four things we should know about every person on this earth. No matter how successful they are, how unsuccessful they are, how famous they are, how beautiful and handsome they are, or how unattractive and plain they may be, everyone shares these four traits.
One, there is an essential emptiness in every person who hasn't yet come to Christ. Everyone is essentially empty. No matter how much money or prestige someone has, everyone has to deal with that emptiness.
Scripture says that God made His creation subject to vanity or emptiness, meaning there is a void--a hole, if you will--inside every man, woman, and child.
Two, people are lonely. We can assume there is a sense of loneliness in every individual. Albert Einstein once wrote, "It is strange to be known so universally and yet be so lonely." People are lonely. We need to know that.
Three, people have a sense of guilt. They may try to mask it with alcohol or have a psychologist or psychiatrist tell them it is not there. But they have to deal with their guilt over the things they have done wrong.
The head of a mental institution in London once said, "I could release half of my patients if I could find a way to relieve them of their sense of guilt."
Four, people are afraid to die. Some may strut around and say, "Not me. I'm not afraid to die." But they are.
So don't be so intimidated by the facades that people hide behind and assume they don't want to hear what you have to say about your faith in Christ.
Remember, you used to be one of those people. I used to be one of those people. And we responded to the gospel. So will they.
Copyright © 2009 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
to listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com, click here.
SPECIAL OFFER
In times of tragedies and trials, certain things become evident:
- This life will have its sorrows
- God loves us
- Jesus weeps in our times of pain
- God can be glorified through human suffering
Hope for Hurting Hearts, Pastor Greg Laurie's new book, examines these truths, revealing God's love and care for us, and shows how we can find hope, even in the midst of the most unbearable pain and sorrow.
You can have your own copy of Hope for Hurting Hearts by Greg Laurie in appreciation for your gift to Harvest Ministries this month.
