Dear Friends,
Recently the son of a longtime friend passed away. Due to a previous commitment, we were unable to the attend the funeral but sent a sympathy card and donated to a medical charity in his name.
A week or so later, we received a correspondence that troubled us. In a one-page obituary, the family “acknowledged each act of kindness and expression of sympathy shown during this time of loss.” They praised their son’s compassion for people, animals, and the health of the planet and encouraged “doing a random act of kindness in his memory.”
The troubling part of the communication was the inclusion of the following quotation from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:
“Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend,
Before we too into the Dust descend;
Dust into Dust, and under Dust to lie
Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer, and–sans End!
“What do you make of this?” Bonnie asked.
“This is a pretty “in-your-face” declaration of the unbelief of his parents.” I responded.
“By Worldly standards, my friend has everything,” Bonnie explained. “She was a nationally acclaimed teacher, financially successful, a world traveler, and active in social circles. But based on conversations we’ve had, I am afraid she is spiritually bankrupt. How can someone so smart and so blessed be so blind?”
“Two Bible verses come to mind.”
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV)
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Mark 8:36 (NIV)
“I’m not sure if I am angry, sad, hurt, or ashamed,” Bonnie shook her head, as she started to talk with me about her concern for the soul of the young man who had died. “I feel I let God down.”
“What do you mean,” I asked.
“She once considered me one of her best friends. I knew that she wasn’t religious. I shared my faith with her but wonder if I could have done more to bring her to Christ. Would her son have chosen Jesus if my friend had been a follower of our Lord?”
“I’m not sure any of us ‘brings people to Christ,’” I offered. “Guided by the Holy Spirit, we may plant seeds, but as we learn in the parable of the sower, found in Matthew 13, not all seed takes root.”
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Matthew 13:19-23 (NIV)
Feeling a deep sadness, Bonnie questioned, “I know that my friend had other Christian friends, why couldn’t one of us get through to her?”
I responded, “We can only plant a seed … ” The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NIV)
If you know someone who planted a seed that helped you make the decision to follow Christ, I encourage you to call them, text them, write them, or visit them; tell them how grateful you are that they shared the Good News with you. As the hymn reminds us, “I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now, I see.”
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 