Guest Devotion: Dan Duncan

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1 Corinthians 9:16

“Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”

A couple of weeks ago, my unsaved brother-in-law was in a motorcycle accident where alcohol was involved. Both eye sockets were shattered and there was bleeding on the brain along with brain damage.  We don’t know to what extent the full damage is. My brother-in-law and I are fairly close, or were until alcohol became the overriding force in his life. I have had several chances to speak with him about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yesterday in Church, my wife and I knelt at the altar to lift he and his wife in prayer.  While at the alter, such a sense of guilt rushed over me that I was unable to pray so my wife prayed for both of us. I told her later that I felt so guilty for not being more compassionate in my witness to him and felt responsible for his refusal to accept Christ as his savior. Later, as I thought on these things, I realized that I was looking at the situation from the wrong point of view. Could I have been more compassionate? Possibly. Could I have been more forceful? Probably. But I realize that God instructs us not to bring the lost to him unwillingly, but to preach the Gospel in both word AND deed. Have I done this? Yes but perhaps not well enough to make an impact. As we look toward going to visit, I have vowed to my self to make a loving appeal for Christ. But I realize that it is the Holy Spirit who must affect real change in his heart, not me. I ask that you all make this a matter of prayer and remember, God knows the exact needs of this situation and only He can provide. God bless you all!