"....By Any Means...."

"....if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them." (Romans 11:14)

This quarter through Romans, I noticed particularly the phrase in our text, "....if by any means I may...save some...."  This is Paul's response to, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."  May it be yours and mine.

My Dad would have been 100 years old on August 1.  He was the most effective soul winner and "follow-up" person I have ever known.  I remember two incidents as a boy.  The first was in the early 1950's in Somerset, Pa.  My Dad had brought to Jesus a man with a particularly rough background.  This man was a great fan of professional wrestling.  He would invite our whole family to his house after the Wednesday evening prayer and Bible study meeting to watch wrestling.  I remember particularly the great sandwiches his wife would prepare.  I never heard my mother complain.  But I recall that even as a young boy, I knew what my Dad was up to, "....if by any means I may... save some."

The second was a man in my Dad's parish in Johnstown, Pa.  He had been having difficulty in his marriage.  He finally realized his weakness and inability to change and gave his heart to the Lord Jesus.  He worked the evening shift at the local newspaper; so, every evening before he went to work my Dad had him come by the house to pray with him before he went to work -------------------------"....if by any means I may...save some...."

If you would like to pray something "else" for me, I ask that you always pray that my heart will be, "....if by any means I may...save some...." 

Father, in Jesus' Name, I could not have asked for a greater earthly father.  I pray that his passion would always be mine.  Amen.

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Read of Israel's communist "infestation" at:  www.apf327.blogspot.com

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"

Hebrews 12:2