Turning "I should" to "I will".

Last month I wrote a post about the sinfulness of our world and how sometimes it seems like there isn't enough grace to fix it (Read here).  It was written on a day when I was sitting in my office drinking a Dr. Pepper and reading the newspaper, enjoying tranquility and a small work load for the day.  On that particular day, instead of finding relaxation and peace, I found myself disturbed by the violence and wickedness and corruption in the world.  And it made me sad.  Well it happened again.
I told my wife a few weeks ago that I wasn't going to waste my money on a newspaper anymore because I was tired of being depressed.  Well I went back on that vow and the other day purchased a copy of the San Antonio Express-News and read stories of kidnappings, the destruction of drug cartels in Mexico, and sexual assaults.  The world really is a messy place.  And the wickedness affects so many people - children, mothers and fathers, spouses and friends.  The tragedy is widespread when depravity rears its ugly, monstrous head.  As I read the stories, as I imagine the pain that is being felt, the hopelessness of some of those situations, I wonder one thing.

What can I do about it?

I have often pondered this question, wondering what assistance I can offer that might deplete the stock of evil in the world, or silence the cries of victims, or wipe away the drugs and the murders and the pain.  And as I wonder, I come up with wild ideas, ideas that would probably never be achieved.

I should become a Senator and help pass legislation to stop these things.

I should become a police officer and help put away those bad people for good.

I should start a non-profit organization that focuses on these victims or those people.

All of these ideas are noble.  Police officers get the job done.  They help eliminate crime in our cities.  Senators help pass good laws sometimes.  Non-profits do good work and help many people.  But as I concoct all of these hypothetical "shoulds" I tragically ignore the one big "should" that Jesus has realistically placed before me.

I should preach the gospel.

As a Christian, God expects certain things of me.  He expects me to live a certain way and be a certain kind of person.  And He also expects me to do certain things.  Proclaiming the gospel of salvation is one of those things that He has instructed me to do, that he pleads with me to do, that He is waiting for me to do.

And it is one thing that I am failing to do.

I talk about the gospel in church, with other Christians.  I even talk about the dire need to spread the gospel.  I talk alot, but I don't act alot.  And I think it is safe to say that the same is true for many Christians around me today. 

We fail when it comes to preaching the gospel.  We leave it to pastors and evangelists and missionaries, professionals who have been trained in that area.  But don't we have the same thing they do?  The Word of God and our own story? 

As I read through the newspaper, or watch the news on TV, or listen to the radio, and take note of all of the tragedies in the world, I can realize that all of them are results of depravity.  And I also can realize that the only real solution to all of these problems is the gospel. Salvation can fix them.  Jesus can fix them.  Healing can only come when Jesus brings the healing.

So what are we going to do about it? What will I do about it?  I will share the gospel in every way that I can, any time I have a chance.  I will share the gospel with the troubled youth I work with; with the homeless man who asks me for money; with the poor broken family who lives across town. 

What will you do?  I challenge you to realize that the only solution to the evils in the world is the gospel.  And the only way people will hear that gospel is if we tell them.  It doesn't matter if you stand on a crate in the middle of a park, or build a relationship with a person, or hand out a tract - just preach the gospel.

The gospel can destroy the drug cartels; it can change the rapist; it can heal the broken and afflicted.  But only if we share it.  Today, turn "I should" to "I will." 

Have you shared the gospel lately?  What is your preferred method?