Whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (James 5:20).

We may hardly dare to consider the consequence of sharing our faith – or not doing so. James, the brother of Jesus, minces no words. When we bring a sinner back from their wandering away from God, we save a soul from death. If no one shares Jesus, eternal death is certain.

In our town, TV crews captured a man breaking the fall of multiple family members from the upper floor of a two-story home. The multiple blows to his body sent the rescuer to the hospital. Why did he absorb those injuries? Because without his heroic efforts the family members would have died.

What made the man’s deeds even more heroic, as the story unfolded, was an old dispute he had with the family over neighborhood issues. The hero chose to look past those issues because lives were at stake. The magnitude of potential loss made it important to minimize past tensions with the family.

Saving souls from death may well require the same from us. The ones that we are most likely to influence for Christ are those closest to us. And, if they are not walking with Christ, they are the ones most likely to have sinned against us.

The magnitude of their loss to Satan requires that we minimize – even cover – a multitude of sins against us. Why should we do this for those who have sinned against us? Because the Savior we love loves them, and because he purchases their souls with the same blood that purchased us.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to share the light of the gospel to save wandering souls from death, and to be willing to cover a multitude of sins to do so.