I shiver beside the raging waters, watching in horror as they roar onward, sweeping away everything in their path. Then I hear it--a voice coming from upstream. A pitiful cry escapes the mouth of the poor man as he struggles to keep his head above water. “Help me!” he screams. I fall to my knees and reach out. But I barely miss his outstretched hand as he washes by. I bury my head in my hands and sob. “If only I could have reached just a little farther, I might have saved him.” 

Dear Reader, it doesn’t have to end like the story above when it comes to souls that are drowning in sin. We’ve been give the tools to reach them if we will only use them. Our heavenly Father has called us to be His arms and has provided all we need to lengthen our reach if we will only recognize and use these tools. Proverbs 31 talks about a virtuous wife who extends her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. May I add that this should include all of us?

Prayer is our longest arm. It can reach to every grain of sand on this earth. How far is my reach into the mission fields? Am I praying daily that lost and hell bound souls will find Jesus before it’s too late? Am I praying that many of God’s children will hear His call to go, and respond to that call?

The next arm is the arm of giving. What kind of giver am I? Am I selfishly spending my resources on trivial trinkets for myself and my pleasure, or does my arm reach around the world to bless hurting families who often don’t even have food to eat?

The next arm is the arm of going. Am I in such close fellowship with my Lord that I am open to His voice if He should call me to go to the mission fields?

 Think about this? Probably half the world goes to bed hungry every night--especially little children--while most of us threw enough in the garbage can every day to feed an entire family in Asia or Africa for a week.  Hordes starve to death every single day. 

So, which one are you, Beloved? Are you a Pray-er, a Giver, or a Goer? How far is your reach to suffering humanity? Search your heart, and then decide what Jesus would have you do. But don’t wait. Time is running out.

One word of caution. God pronounces woes on those who choose to be Ignorers, those who care about no one but themselves.  --Rebecca Somoskey