“Please pick up some potting soil on your way home,” requested my wife.  I stopped by the garden center, located the type of potting soil Kari requested, and completed the purchase.  A young man came out to the car to help load.  While walking together I introduced myself and discovered his name was Ben.

Ben was a laconic fellow in his early twenties who surprised me with his initiative.  Instead of loading one sack at a time, he grabbed two forty pound sacks together and easily set them down in the trunk of the car.  “You’re strong, Ben!” I remarked.  We made some small talk before I asked, “Have you received Jesus Christ into your life?”  “No, I don’t care about that stuff!” was his answer.  He replied with a sense of finality, and I rose to the occasion.

“But God cares about you, Ben!  He proved it by dying on a cross for you and your sins.  You’ve heard about that, haven’t you?”  Ben remained silent and hung his head.  I continued with some good news.  “Jesus Christ not only died for our sins, but he rose out of death to live in us so we could do what’s right.  All we need to do is receive Him and His free gift of salvation.  With Christ inside our body, life becomes a huge adventure.”

Ben stood there, hanging his head and listening.  “You want to go to heaven when you die, don’t you?”  Ben immediately lifted his head and looked me in the eyes.  I had his attention.  “Jesus cares about you personally, Ben.  All you need to do is trust Him and accept Him as a free gift into your life.  It’s not about a lot of does and don’ts.  Think about it.  The choice is yours.”

I got in the car and drove home.  But the story doesn’t end yet.  That same evening Kari and I returned and bought some fruit trees on end-of-the-summer sale.  Ben again helped us load.  “Have you thought any more about what we were talking about?” I asked.  “No,” he admitted, “I’ve been working the whole time.”  With that we loaded the trees together and parted.

But the story does not end yet. . . .  Some researchers report, on average, a person needs to hear the gospel seven times before he responds.  If that’s the case with Ben, he may need only one or two. .  . or six more witnesses to stop by and plead the case for Jesus.  Perhaps God will let you be the reaper.  Don’t let Jesus die in vain.

How many more times will Ben need to hear the gospel before he responds?  What do you think?