Cultivating Compassion for the Lost

Think of the frightening story Jesus told in Luke 16 about Lazarus and the rich man. Some believe this was simply a parable, but Jesus began by saying "There was", and He spoke of Lazarus by name. So it would seem that there really was a man named Lazarus and there really was a rich man who ended up in the torments of a very real hell. This should motivate us to cry out in prayer for the lost and then do all we can with God's help to reach them. The sad irony is that in Hell the rich man, who let a beggar starve at his gate, suddenly developed a concern for the fate of his unsaved family. His stony heart finally found compassion, and it was the reality of the fires of hell that changed him. Unfortunately, it was too late for him to put compassion into action, but it's not too late for us. In light of the reality of hell, we can have compassion for those we care about.