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You shall be witnesses to Me . . . to the end of the earth. – Acts 1:8

One morning as I was strolling along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, I saw a middle-aged man sitting in the water. We exchanged greetings, and then he painfully struggled to his feet and began to talk.

What a story of angry resentment! As a young man, he was about to set up a law practice when he was called into the armed forces during World War II. While in the military, he contracted a disease that left him maimed in body and bitter in soul.

Tears streamed down his cheeks. Sensing that he needed to know God’s love, I explained the gospel to him. Then I asked, "Wouldn’t you like to trust Christ as your Savior?" I was thrilled when he said, "Yes, I would." So right there, standing knee-deep in the Gulf of Mexico under a golden morning sun, we prayed. When we finished, he looked at me and made this shocking statement: "Do you realize that no one has ever talked like this to me before!"

That educated man had never been sold of God’s saving grace. This seems hard to believe, doesn’t it? Yet, what if we all were asked, "How long has it been since you personally spoke a word for Christ?" In our enthusiasm to reach lost multitudes across the sea, we must not forget that lost person nearby. – Richard W. De Haan

As You have loved me, let me love

Lost souls in darkness dwelling;

To draw the needy ones to You,

Lord, give a zeal compelling. – Bosch

READ: Acts 1:1-9

Do we have a burden for the lost, or have we lost our burden?

The Bible in one year:

• 1 Chronicles 4-6

• John 6:1-21