India or Ice Cream? By Sarah P.

India or Ice Cream?

By Sarah P.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world."
~Psalm 19: 1-4

As I watched the sunrise this morning, this verse really came to my mind. It's a really amazing world we've been given! From here in the USA all the way to India, God has given us a wonderful place to live. What's the only thing that ruins it? We do. As humans, we "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". (Romans 3:23) It can be discouraging to think about this. God gave us this perfect world to live in, and in return we sin and go against His will. There's more to the story, though. God gave us grace through Jesus, and He saved us! (See John 3:16) Now we don't have to live like that anymore! We can choose to glorify God and live for Him daily!

There are other people in the world that don't know about this, and it's our job to spread the word. Take India, for example; a nation of 1.237 billion+ people, and most of them have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. We, as Christians, have to tell them about Jesus! He commanded us to tell them the Good News in the Great Commision. (Matthew 28:16-20) However.....not all of us can fly to India and spend a month, two months, or three months there as missionaries. We can certainly help with our time, resources, and influence, though. If you don't think you can make a difference, look at this fact: the average American family spends around $75.00 on ice cream each year! (www.pamallison.com/2012/06/12/ice-cream-who-buys-it/) That's enough money to send almost 76 children to a week-long Bible school in India! I like this dessert, but would I rather indulge my sweet tooth or have 75 children hear the gospel? This should be an easy choice to make! I'm not saying that you should give up ice cream, but I hope you get the point: you can make a difference for Jesus!

It's the same sun that rises and sets all over the world, and it's the same moon that shines during the night. The living conditions are not the same everywhere, though, and not all people have had the opportunity to hear about Jesus. We have to reach out! God has done more than enough; He sent us Jesus and this beautiful world to live in. He asks us to show His love to others in the world by telling them about Jesus...so, what will it be? India or ice cream?
(Note: if you are interested in more about missions in India, visit www.lostinindia.org. It's a great fundraiser!)