This pandemic has put many lives at risk, and there have been communities that were and are at much higher risk. People on ships have been especially vulnerable. Some retirement home populations have been decimated. But, one of the most at-risk communities (that has been flying under the radar) is the homeless population. Thankfully there have been several organizations that have been doing what they can to help this community.
In California, the State actually leased 15,000 hotel rooms to provide shelter for the homeless. Even though that’s only a fraction (about 10%) of the State’s estimated 151,000 homeless, only half of the leased rooms have been occupied. Perhaps because the homeless did not hear the news, or because they did not trust the news, or because they simply refused, over 7,000 rooms that have been prepared for them remain vacant.
The Bible tells us that God is preparing places for all of us in heaven, not just 10-percent. And He wants there to be no vacancies, which is why He has commissioned His followers to share the good news with others. Not only do we need to tell others, but we need to do so in a trustworthy manner. It does no good for us to share the gospel if we lack credibility. Yet ultimately, nobody will be forced to go that doesn’t want to be there. “But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). May we help others choose what God has prepared in heaven and may we choose that destiny for ourselves as well!