Hebrews 9:27
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
Recently, my daughter and I were coming home from a revival meeting. We were sitting on the airplane that was taking us from Pittsburgh to Dallas. Everyone had boarded the plane, and we were waiting for the gate agent to give the final paperwork so the door could be closed. Finally, the gate agent came and gave the paperwork to the flight attendant, and then she leaned around the corner of the cockpit and said to the pilots, “There are one hundred and forty-one souls on this plane.” That statement to the pilots hit me right at the center of my heart. She didn't say there were one hundred and forty-one people on board, but she said there were one hundred and forty-one souls on board.
It would be good if every Christian adopted the same mentality about people that the airlines have. If we started looking at every person as a soul, I believe it would change our mindset of reaching people for Jesus Christ. Once a soul dies, it will either go to Heaven or Hell. The verse above says that after someone dies, there is the“judgment.” That means every soul either takes care of their judgment while they are alive, or they will face an eternal judgment of Hell when they die.
Let me ask you, what is the population of the city where you live? Now, whatever that population is let me remind you that each number is a soul. Longview, Texas, the city where I live, has a population of just over 80,000. That means in my city are 80,000+ souls. Those 80,000+ souls have an eternity they will face when the body in which the soul is housed passes away. I don't know what the population of your city is, but let me remind you that each number is a soul that will either go to Heaven or Hell.
The hope for each soul is that someone will get to them with the Gospel before they meet their judgment. My friend, if every soul depended upon your aggressiveness in getting the Gospel to others, will each soul have a chance not to face the judgment after death? The souls in your city will not care after death who won the election or which party is in control of your country because they will face a judgment. The souls in your city will not be concerned after they die with the church winning a league championship; they will only be concerned with whether they have prepared for the judgment. The souls in your city will not care how much money you have earned, what degrees or titles you have before your name, the size of your house or the car that you drive. They will only be concerned with whether or not they have prepared for the judgment after death.
What are you doing to help souls prepare for the judgment? How many souls have you talked to about the saving power of Jesus Christ? God sends every soul across your path every day with the hope that you will give them the Gospel. Friend, my hope is that your mindset will change to seeing souls instead of people. My hope is that this devotional will get you to realize your responsibility in reaching the soul of man. There is a judgment for every soul that you will see today. I challenge you to do your best every day to present the Gospel to every soul that the LORD leads along your path so they will have a chance to settle their judgment before death. If you see people as souls, this challenge won't be difficult to accomplish.