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Day 35 / 04.08.23 / Mercy Ho, Leadership Circle, YWAM Singapore

Day 35: That none should perish

Romans 10:14-15 “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ ”

The heartbeat of missions is Jesus and the heartbeat of Jesus is to turn all hearts back to God. “That none should perish” remains one of the loudest heart cries of God for all the peoples of the earth: That every nation, tribe and tongue will come to repentance and return to God and worship Him. 

Therefore, our constant resounding heartbeat must be to carry his passion for the lost until every person of every nation returns to God. 

The world of missions is different from that of a thousand years ago. No longer are we constrained by geographical boundaries and language barriers. 

People groups that were once so hard to reach or speak to are now literally at our doorstep – in every street, in our coffee shops, in our supermarkets, in our shopping malls, in our schools, in our workplaces, in our train stations. They are everywhere. It’s absolutely not possible to ignore the reality of the presence of the people of these nations who are right before us and beside us every day. 

There are nations that we feel called to, and the people of these nations dwell among us in Singapore. We can already begin to reach out to them here. 

We are all on a missionary journey, even if you’re not a missionary as a full-time vocation, for all of us have been given the task to seek and save the lost. And this journey begins not when we take a plane to the nation that we feel called to. Our journey begins when we begin to take that simple first step to reach and love the people of nations who are so near to us in our own nation. 

So don’t wait till you take a plane to a nation. Instead will you start praying: God, will you lead me to reach the nations right across the street?

Our constant resounding heartbeat must be to carry his passion for the lost, until every person of every nation returns to God. 

Romans 10:14-15 challenges us: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

How can they know God unless we go to them? How can they believe unless we share the Gospel with them and live it out among them?

I was at a coffee shop very recently this year and I looked around me. There were more than 50 ladies from a country in Asia, a country that is still so unreached today, right in that small coffee shop space. 

My heart cried out for those who are called to their nation and who speak their language to come and spend time with them, love them, find out the most urgent prayer needs on their hearts, share the Gospel with them.

There is an old song called Pass It On. The words go: It only takes a spark to get a fire going and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to everyone, you want to pass it on. 

So, from the poorest to the richest, from the young to the old, from the backslidden to the unreached, from the nations at distant shores to the nations at our doorstep, go love like Christ in every way possible to reveal Him. 

Go proclaim Good News to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, set the captives free, release all from the darkness of sin, love the hardest heart, the coldest heart, the most wayward heart, love the nations that are right before us. For God’s desire is that none should perish. Let us pray:

God, we thank You that You are God and God alone and that we belong to You. We thank You for Your passion for the lost and Your passion and love toward us. 

We pray, God, that You would help us carry Your compassion and Your passion to the people whom You love, and we ask that, as we bring Your love to the people around us, You would draw them to You. 

Will You cause their hearts to see You and to know You and return to You? May they one day worship You and make You known and glorify You. 

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Download the PDF version of today’s devotional here.

/ Reflect
  • How does Romans 10:14-15 change your understanding of your task to seek and save the lost?
  • Is there a nation or a people God has specially put on your heart?
  • What is one thing God is prompting you to begin doing to reach the nations at our doorstep?
/ Pray
  • Pray to grasp the magnitude of God’s desire for none to perish but for all to come to repentance. Ask God to stir up a similar passion in your heart to be part of His plan to carry Good News to the ends of the earth. “The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.” (Carl FH Henry)
  • Ask what your role is in the mission field. Ask God if you are called to be part of the sending – through prayer, sponsorship, planning, fundraising – or part of the sent?
  • Ask for a heightened awareness of the mission field around you, and for opportunities to reach out to people from different nations who live in your household, neighbourhood, workplace and community. Seek God’s guidance on how to share His love and the Gospel with them effectively.