“I have a question for you, Stan,” I began one morning.
“What’s up?” He responded.
“I was reading in Luke’s gospel,” I replied, “where Jesus was talking about the parable of the sower.”
“Any specific part?” Stan asked.
“The first part,” I replied, “about those along the road who hear the word, but Satan comes and takes it away. If Satan is just going to take away the word, what’s the point of those people getting the word at all?”
“And,” I added, “if Satan is just going to take it away, why should people spend their time trying to sow the word where it may just be taken away by Satan?”
“I think it’s simply to keep from making Satan’s work any easier,” Stan replied.
“It’s not up to me, and it’s not up to you, to predetermine which people Satan is going to work on to take away the word of God.”
Continuing, he said, “If I decide that someone is likely to have the word of God taken away by Satan, and I act on that decision by not even trying to present the truth of God’s provision, I have just interfered with God’s work. Who am I to do that?”
He then added, “I will have kept that person from having the opportunity to respond to the truth. In addition, I will have made Satan’s work a whole lot easier.”
“How so?” I asked.
“One less person Satan has to work on,” Stan replied.
Continuing, he said, “On the other hand, if I spread the word of God as widely as possible, there will be too many people for Satan to work on and many of those are apt to accept the truth and become serious about their faith, seeking to be more mature Christians, so that Satan will be too late in getting to them!”
Concluding, Stan said, “Although he is pretty good at what he does, I hate what Satan does, and I refuse to make his work any easier!”
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Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved. Luke 8:11, 12.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you want me to be involved in spreading the seeds of your word into the unbelieving world. I know that some will never believe and be saved, but I also know that you do not want me to be the gatekeeper in deciding which ones I will share with, and which ones I will not. Whether or not they respond is up to you, not me. Please help me in being open just as you want so that I will share the truth with everyone and not exclude anyone, just because not all will believe. Help me in not making Satan’s work any easier with anyone. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: All of us have people in our lives who we think will never accept the truth of the gospel, so we don’t even try. How wrong is that? Where would you be if everyone had thought that about you? Looking at yourself with all honesty, have you assumed the role of a “gatekeeper” who is in charge of who gets the truth and who doesn’t? If so, what will it take for you to give up that role?
Waiting for the Train 