As I sat down and wrote today’s date, instantly the words came into my spirit, “From the least to the greatest”.  I told my wife, “Boy, that was fast, now I know what to write about today.”  The key verse is found in Jeremiah 31:34, which says:
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

I am SO looking forward to that day, when all know the LORD. Life will be so wonderful, for there will be nobody doing hurt to another.  Well, very obviously not every person knows the LORD at this time, so Christians still have a LOT of work to do to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It’s encouraging to meet so many “Christians”, but I have yet to have one of them come up and ask ME if I know Jesus.  And if they’re not asking me, then they probably aren’t asking anyone else, either.  Why is that?  Isn’t knowing Jesus worth the effort?

Now, just the fact that Jesus made it possible for my sins to be forgiven is all the reason I need to seek Him.  Why would anyone go to the trouble He did to secure my forgiveness?  And more importantly, why would anyone be willing to suffer the untold agony of the cross to purchase my redemption?  I’ve asked myself those questions many times through the years, and still don’t have a satisfactory answer.  Somehow “Because He loves us” seems so inadequate.  How can love be so intense and deep to drive Jesus to endure the cross?  My little mind just can’t wrap around that, even yet today.

So we go to church and hear a message about the love of God, and it slides off of us like water off a duck’s back.  Oh, maybe we get a little lump in our throat or a warm and fuzzy feeling, but that’s about it.  My friend, if we were hearing the TRUE GOSPEL of Jesus Christ, we would jump out of our complacency and RUN to the altar and fall to our knees in adoration and worship.  But we aren’t, and that’s why Jeremiah 31:34 is not yet fulfilled.  We as “Christians” are falling down on the job, and there is no other possible explanation.

Are we so concerned with our own convenience and blessing that we have forgotten the fate of those who don’t know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior? Or is it that we just plain don’t care; that we are still so carnal that all we care about is the “Big 3”: Me, Myself, and I ?   Whatever the excuse we give, it doesn’t hold water.  If “Christians” aren’t telling the lost and unsaved about Jesus, then WHO IS?  It’s for sure the devil isn’t evangelizing for Jesus.  Often I’ve written about how the Lord Jesus told His disciples that He would make them “Fishers of men”.  Listen, if you’re going fishing, you must go where the fish are.  Maybe the problem is we prefer to go to the fish market and get them already caught and packaged all nice and neat.

What do I mean by that?  Well, by going to the fish market, we don’t have to exert any effort to locate or catch the fish, or make them presentable.  All we have to do is show up where they bring the fish and buy them.  Some still delight in catching their own fish, whether from a boat or standing in a stream and using a fish pole and bait.  There is joy that comes from catching your own fish.  And there’s joy in being a “Fisher of men” and catching your own.  You don’t need a license to be a “Fisher of men”.  Of course you knew that, didn’t you?  And there’s no limit, either, you can catch as many as you like, anytime, any season.

So why aren’t there more “Fishers of men”?  That’s a good question.  Maybe the fishermen aren’t really driven to be out there in the first place.  Maybe the realization of how deep and intense the love of God is for us hasn’t truly sunk in, and they can’t tell someone about something they haven’t truly experienced for themselves.  That has to be it; for there is NO WAY any of us could possibly fail to tell others about Jesus out of pure laziness.  We really MUST have an excuse for our failure to tell everyone we meet about Jesus.  Yeah, right, keep telling yourself that.  But whatever the reason, God isn’t buying it.  I said GOD ISN’T BUYING IT!

Do you truly have any idea how much your salvation cost Jesus?  Do you have any clue how horribly Jesus suffered on that cross for you, to save you from the Lake of Fire?  Even before Jesus went to the cross, He agonized in prayer, knowing what was about to happen.  Here, let’s read about it:
Luk 22:40  And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Luk 22:41  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luk 22:42  Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Luk 22:43  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
Luk 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Luk 22:45  And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,
Luk 22:46  And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

Christians, and the “CHURCH” has become so spiritually sleepy and lazy that the impact of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been nearly lost.  We, the “Salt and Light” that Jesus called us to be has fizzled out and lost its savor, and so how can we scarcely think the lost and unsaved in the world will find Jesus on their own?  Do we “Fishers of men” go out and sit in our air-conditioned, plush seated boats and expect the fish to gather to us and jump into our boat?  Surely you jest.  The prophecy of Jeremiah 31:34 will eventually be fulfilled, for there ARE those faithful witnesses for Christ Jesus.  The question is; DO YOU EVEN CARE TO BE ONE OF THEM?  I know that may rub some the wrong way, but I’m telling you the truth, and sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth.

Jesus spoke about repentance being part of salvation.  Spiritual laziness is something to be repented of, and QUICKLY, for none of us know when we will breathe our last.  Remember those famous words of Christ Jesus we all want to hear:
Mat_25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Please my friend, consider the masses of people who will NOT hear those words if you fail to tell others about the love of Jesus.  Their decision is not your responsibility.  But it IS your responsibility to deliver the message.  It is written in 2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. How are they going to repent if you don’t tell them about Jesus?  I’m doing my part, but you will meet people I will never meet, and I can’t tell them if I can’t reach them.

Ask God to so flood your soul with His love, that you just can’t stand it if you’re not telling someone about Jesus. Then grab your net and go fishing for men. Draw them on in, from the least to the greatest.  May your nets be full and overflowing.