Tidings for Tuesday
And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it. Luke 19:41
Other than onions or a whiff of ammonia gas, what makes you cry? We all get a little emotional about some things. An injured child or animal will make some people openly sob. Others get teary-eyed at sad stories of all kinds. Of course, we shed tears when a loved one dies. Mothers are noted for crying at weddings, and little children cry about bumps and scrapes and candy that falls in the dirt. But the Lord Jesus had the greatest reason of all for weeping: the sad and hopeless condition of lost souls. How much do we know of such sorrow?
We know that hell and the lake of fire are more than just black and red blotches on the Two Roads and Two Destinies chart that is often displayed during Gospel meetings. We know that our Salvation has delivered us from the possibility of ever landing in deternal damnation. But as we look around us during the day, most of the people we see know nothing about such deliverance. They deon/t even realize they are lost. And yet, unless they receive the second birth, they will arrive in the everlasting abode of torments. Do we ever thing about that? Does it ever grip our souls that those who laugh and chatter about us will all too soon be wailing out their woes in flames and darkness? Can we see them plunging into the horrible abyss?
We see Gospel preachers display their passion for lost souls, as they deliver their messages of warning and as they strive to get across to the unsaved the great price paid by the Saviour for their redemption. We appreciate such compassion and zeal on the part of the preachers. But do we find the same burden for the lost within our own souls? Do we really care that those about us are perishing.
The Lord Jesus knew what it was to weep over the poor hell-bound residents of Jerusalem. He really cared. He was deeply grieved to know so many of them were going to suffer for their sins forever. We would no doubt see more souls saved if we would mingle our tears with those of our Lord and Saviour, if we really cared that they perish. -Jim MacIntosh