Four Things We Should Know

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Tuesday, July 26, 2005

He has planted eternity in the human heart. . . . —Ecclesiastes 3:11

There are four things we should know about every person on this earth. No matter how successful they are, how unsuccessful they are, how famous they are, how beautiful and handsome they are, or how unattractive and plain they may be, everyone shares these four traits.

One, there is an essential emptiness in every person who hasn't yet come to Christ. Everyone is essentially empty. No matter how much money or prestige someone has, everyone has to deal with that emptiness. Scripture says that God made His creation subject to vanity or emptiness, meaning there is a void, a hole if you will, inside every man, woman, and child.

Two, people are lonely. We can assume there is a sense of loneliness in every individual. Albert Einstein once wrote, "It is strange to be known so universally and yet be so lonely." People are lonely. We need to know that.

Three, people have a sense of guilt. They may try to mask it with alcohol or have a psychologist or psychiatrist tell them it is not there. But they have to deal with their guilt over the things they have done wrong. The head of a mental institution in London said, "I could release half of my patients if I could find a way to relieve them of their sense of guilt."

Four, people are afraid to die. Some may strut around and say, "Not me. I'm not afraid to die." But they are.

So don't be so imitated by the facades that people hide behind and assume they don't want to hear what you have to say about your faith in Christ. Remember, you used to be one of those people. I used to be one of those people. And we responded to the gospel. So will they.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000