Why You Should Be Concerned About Your Unsaved Loved Ones
By Barry Meguiar
Entrepreneur and ministry leader Barry Meguiar asks Christ followers: How concerned are you for the salvation of your unsaved friends and loved ones? The commentary below is an excerpt from his new book, “Ignite Your Life” — Editor’s Note
Here’s something for you to ponder: How many friends and loved ones would be left behind if the rapture happened tomorrow?
It’s a serious question because the rapture could easily happen tomorrow. In fact, we’re to live our lives like it will happen tomorrow. And knowing that, how concerned are you for the salvation of your unsaved friends and loved ones?
PHOTO: Paola Chaaya / Unsplash
You see, when you love your neighbor as yourself, you’re as concerned for their salvation as you are your own. That’s when you automatically fulfill the commandments by your desire to do everything possible to move everyone, every day, closer to Jesus. That truth sets you free! Living rightly to fulfill God’s purpose to seek and save the lost becomes the driving force of your life and the most fun part of your day. And guess what? You’re fulfilling all Ten Commandments without even thinking about it.
Of even greater importance is the impact “love your neighbor as yourself” has on you. The moment you understand that everything you say and do is moving everyone watching you closer or further away from God, it automatically changes everything you say and do—including any language, habit, or indulgence that’s not honoring God and helping you lead people to Him. This is where the fulfillment of God’s law in your life is made easy by your excitement for leading people to Jesus.
I Let God Down
One of my famous car guy friends came down with a rare form of cancer when he was in his fifties. Like many of my car guy friends, he was a great guy but far from the Lord and without Christian friends living near him who could mentor him. I knew immediately that I needed to talk to Chip about the Lord. God was telling me, “Go ye,” but it wasn’t convenient. I was on the West Coast, he was on the East, and I was busy with my business, speaking engagements, a television show, and my ministry.
His condition declined rapidly over just a few months, and I knew even more I needed to get to him. God kept giving me the nudge. And then I got the call from his assistant while I was at the Amelia Island Concours in Florida that Chip had passed, and I wept out of grief and guilt.
I sat in my hotel room crying, “I let You down, God. I let Chip down.” And there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn’t get over the thought that Chip was going to spend eternity in hell because I was too busy to talk to him when he was alive. It was devastating. I loved Chip. He was my friend!
On the day of his service, they had his closest car guy friends get into an antique bus at the fairgrounds and drive to the church, where the parking lot was filled with cool cars. When I mentioned God to the guy sitting next to me on the bus, he said, “Well, Chip didn’t have anything to do with God,” and my stomach churned. I was a mess.
Toward the end of the service, the young pastor quickly acknowledged that all of us knew Chip better than he did. But then he continued by saying, “I didn’t meet Chip until he became ill. But then we became close friends, and I led him to the Lord. And now he’s in heaven.” That’s when I lost it altogether with the extreme emotions of joy and guilt.
I told God, “You saved my bacon this time. You saved Chip, and You saved me! But I promise You, I won’t let You down again.” And now, when someone is dying that I can influence, I run to them. Because of Chip, there are several more people in heaven today because I’ve been there in time to lead them to Jesus at the end of their lives.
There’s an added lesson to be learned with this real-life experience. I didn’t fail to talk to Chip because I hated him. I loved Chip! But I wasn’t loving him as myself! I wasn’t as concerned for his salvation as much as I was my own. Otherwise, I would have been on the next plane.
If you have unsaved friends that you’ve been wimping out on, please learn from this mistake. God’s “salvationing” us when He’s loving us, and God has commissioned you to “salvation” everyone under your influence. More correctly, He wants to “salvation” everyone under your influence through you! You may be God’s only point of contact with them.
The above excerpt from “Ignite Your Life” by Barry Meguiar was published with permission.
Barry Meguiar is the third-generation president of Meguiar’s Car Wax, the top-selling car wax in America and in countries around the world. His “Car Crazy” television show aired for eighteen years and was viewed on Discovery Channel Networks globally. He is also the founder/president of Ignite America, with weekly podcasts and daily features on over nine hundred Christian radio stations.
For more information on “Ignite Your Life,” visit Charisma House (IgniteLifeBook.com).