"I charge you in the presence
of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His
appearing and His Kingdom: preach the Word; be ready in season and out of
season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." 2
Timothy 4:1-2
On October 15, 56-year-old Wilf Lloyd was hunting elk with his son-in-law, Skeet
Podrasky.
What the pair didn't know is that a 400-pound male grizzly bear was hunting
them. When the bear attacked, it directed its attentions to Lloyd. Seeing his
father-in-law being mauled by the bear, Podrasky had only an instant to decide
on and implement a plan of action. In less time than it takes to tell, Podrasky
went over a checklist of options. All of these options, with the exception of
one, seemed to end up with his father-in-law becoming breakfast for the bear.
Podrasky made his choice, leveled his rifle, and fired. Unfortunately, rather
than hitting the bear, he ended up shooting his father-in-law. He took another
shot and, you guessed it, hit his father-in-law again. Finally, Podrasky's aim
proved effective, and he killed the bear.
Lloyd, the twice-shot, bear-mauled, father-in-law, was flown to Calgary where he
is doing well.
Over the years I have seen other people, Christian people, who have found
themselves placed in Podrasky's shoes. No, they haven't had to face a giant
grizzly bear who was attacking a loved one, but that doesn't mean their
spiritual situation wasn't just as dangerous. Consider
* the parent whose college-aged child tells them they don't want mom and dad
lecturing them on religion, or
* the parent who becomes furious every time a child starts to talk to them about
their lost condition, or
* the family and friends who have been forced to watch someone they care about
ignore God as they pursue a life of drugs and alcohol.
These people, like Podrasky, recognize there are only so many choices available
to them. Like him, they know if they do nothing it is quite likely their loved
one will be lost. That's why, like him, they decide they must do something, say
something, try something.
Now I would love to tell you that every time a Christian speaks to a loved one
on behalf of the Savior that person responds in a positive way. I would love to
tell you that, but I can't. There are many times when a witnessing Christian,
like Podrasky, feels his best efforts have done more harm than good.
That's when they say, "Maybe I should just lower my verbal guns and stay silent.
I don't want to make the situation worse." Well, my friends, there may indeed be
times when silence can be a virtue, but there aren't many such times.
No, when eternity for a loved one is on the line, we need to preach the Word.
With complete patience we need to reprove, rebuke and exhort. Being bold in
pointing people to the Savior is what St. Paul did 2,000 years ago.
It's what we need to do today.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant me the right words to speak clearly, boldly and
lovingly about Jesus to those who need to hear the story of salvation. In Jesus'
Name I ask it. Amen.
Pastor Ken Klaus Lutheran Hour Ministries All rights reserved; not to be duplicated without permission.
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