Mr. Success Meets Jesus

February 7, 2011


A friend told me this story. It seems that her daughter married a man who came from a very wealthy family. Although the young man was a believer, his parents were not. Over the years my friend and her husband did everything they could to share Christ with the other set of parents. The in-law was too busy with his work to consider the claims of Christ. His work was his life and he had little time for other concerns. He worked from early morning till late at night and when he was home, his mind was somewhere else, always dreaming about his many business ventures. He simply had no desire to think about his soul.

How do you reach a man like that? Mostly you wait and pray for God to change his priorities. That’s exactly what happened when the man contracted cancer. Suddenly everything changed. He no longer lived to work. Now he lived each day wondering if it might be his last.

But still he seemed strangely unconcerned about his eternal destiny. If the thought of spending eternity separated from God bothered him, he never let it show. My friend gave the man a copy of one my books, hoping he might pick it up and read it quickly.

Something supernatural happened in his heart as he read the book. A few days later he attended a church service and walked forward to publicly confess his faith in Jesus Christ. My friend had tears in her eyes as she described this miracle of God’s grace.

We all know that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. But even the rich and powerful need Jesus, and no amount of wealth and can insulate you from adversity. Cancer isn’t a good thing, but if cancer causes you to slow down long enough to read a book that helps you come to Christ, then cancer isn’t so bad after all.

The whole story reaffirms the conviction that salvation is the work of God. Our part is to pray and tell the Good News to others, trusting that the Holy Spirit will break down the barriers and draw men and women to the Savior. Let us not grow weary in sharing Christ, for in due season we will reap a joyful harvest as our friends come to Christ one by one by one.

How do you reach a man like that? Mostly you wait and pray for God to change his priorities. That’s exactly what happened when the man contracted cancer. Suddenly everything changed. He no longer lived to work. Now he lived each day wondering if it might be his last.

But still he seemed strangely unconcerned about his eternal destiny. If the thought of spending eternity separated from God bothered him, he never let it show. My friend gave the man a copy of one my books, hoping he might pick it up and read it quickly.

Something supernatural happened in his heart as he read the book. A few days later he attended a church service and walked forward to publicly confess his faith in Jesus Christ. My friend had tears in her eyes as she described this miracle of God’s grace.

We all know that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. But even the rich and powerful need Jesus, and no amount of wealth and can insulate you from adversity. Cancer isn’t a good thing, but if cancer causes you to slow down long enough to read a book that helps you come to Christ, then cancer isn’t so bad after all.

The whole story reaffirms the conviction that salvation is the work of God. Our part is to pray and tell the Good News to others, trusting that the Holy Spirit will break down the barriers and draw men and women to the Savior. Let us not grow weary in sharing Christ, for in due season we will reap a joyful harvest as our friends come to Christ one by one by one.

Do you have any thoughts or questions about this post?

Mr. Success Meets Jesus

February 7, 1999


A friend told me this story a few days ago. It seems that her daughter married a man who came from a very wealthy family. Although the young man was a believer, his parents were not. Over the years my friend and her husband did everything they could to share Christ with the other set of parents. The in-law was too busy with his work to consider the claims of Christ. His work was his life and he had little time for other concerns. He worked all the time – from early morning till late at night and when he was home, his mind was somewhere else, always dreaming about his many business ventures. He simply had no desire to think about his soul. How do you reach a man like that? Mostly you wait and pray for God to change his priorities. That’s exactly what happened a few months ago when the man contracted cancer. Suddenly everything changed. He no longer lived to work. Now he lived each day wondering if it might be his last.

But still he seemed strangely unconcerned about his eternal destiny. If the thought of spending eternity separated from God bothered him, he never let it show. Several weeks ago my friend gave the man a copy of my book, What a Christian Believes, in part because the book is short and he might pick it up and read it quickly.

Something supernatural happened in his heart as he read the book. A few days later he attended a church service and walked forward to publicly confess his faith in Jesus Christ. My friend had tears in her eyes as she described this miracle of God’s grace.

We all know that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The whole story demonstrates that even the rich and powerful need Jesus, and that no amount of wealth and can insulate you from adversity. Cancer isn’t a good thing, but if cancer causes you to slow down long enough to read a book that helps you come to Christ, then cancer isn’t so bad after all.

The whole story reaffirms the conviction that salvation is the work of God. Our part is to pray and tell the Good News to others, trusting that the Holy Spirit will break down the barriers and draw men and women to the Savior. Let us not grow weary in sharing Christ, for in due season, we will reap a harvest with joy as our friends come to Christ one by one by one.

Do you have any thoughts or questions about this post?