And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here." Acts 16:27-28

Why did the jailer decide to kill himself? Because just as sleeping while on guard duty is a serious offense, if one charged with guarding prisoners allows his prisoners to escape, he would likely be executed. I guess it seemed better to the guard to take his own life than to be shamed and executed for failing in his duty.

He was interrupted by Paul who loudly urged the desperate man to do himself “no harm,” declaring, “we are still here.” I once heard a sermon on this passage in which the preacher encouraged Christians to do the same with the hurting people around us. Granted, our circumstances are different. But isn’t it true that so many in our world are living lives of self-destruction in sin? (Doesn’t the current rash of young people dying from drug overdoses fit this description!?)

Our message to them ought to be, “Stop destroying your lives with sin”—not merely because we are here, but because Christ the Savior who is our only hope is here! He is only a prayer away! As His representatives and as those tasked with proclaiming the good news of the gospel, ours is a message of hope to the hopeless.

Let us ask the Lord to give us eyes to see the lost around us in this light. Let us ask Him to give us compassionate hearts to alert them of their only hope: Jesus Christ. “Do yourself no harm” (or “stop killing yourself with sin”), because “Christ is here to forgive” is a compassionate way of calling people to faith and repentance.