Growing up, many people ask, “what are you going to do with your life?” The answer looks different for many, but we all are striving to make the most of what little time we have here—to make a difference in the world. When I meditate on the concept of eternity, I realize just how short my earthly life is, and the Lord has graciously shown me that I need to make the most of it. The Lord has given me His life, so I want to give my life back to Him and use it for His glory.
So, what am I doing with my life? By God’s grace, I have come to realize that everything in life means nothing if it does not glorify the Lord. While He calls individuals to different purposes, I believe God has called me to be a missionary for the rest of my life or until the rapture of the Church, which I believe is very soon.
What is a missionary? A missionary is someone who preaches the Gospel—or “good news” of Christ. And that good news is this:
God is perfect, holy and just. Because of that, He cannot allow any sin into heaven—we all fall short of His standard of perfection (Romans 3:23). The penalty for our sin, which is a crime against God, is death (Romans 6:23). Not just physical death, but eternity in hell, the lake of fire, separated from God. No amount of good works can repay the bad. That would be like a serial killer and rapist trying to wash enough dishes for his mom to recompense his crimes. It’s impossible.
But that’s where God’s love comes in. He loved us enough not to leave us in that impossible state by sending His Son Jesus Christ to the earth as a baby. Throughout His life, Christ was tempted in all the ways we were, but since He was fully God, He never sinned. However, He suffered like a criminal by dying on the cross, taking the punishment of God’s wrath for us. Since He was fully human, He was the perfect substitute in our place. Three days later, God raised Jesus from the dead, proving once and for all that He has victory over sin and death!
Those who put their trust in Jesus can experience the forgiveness of sins and receive eternal life—there’s nothing you can do to earn it—you simply have to trust in Christ. We get to exchange our sinfulness for Christ’s righteousness. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Ephesians 2:8-9 declare that “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God not of works so that no one can boast.”
And this is the hopeful message I want to share with others that they might no longer live in bondage to sin and death but experience the freedom that comes only through Christ. This is my reason for living. As most of you know, the Lord opened up the opportunity for me to live with the Clark family who are missionaries in Mexico for the next ten months. And I hope to share that journey with you here.
However, none of us were prepared for the news we were to receive in those first few days. I arrived Friday night with some others from the United States who were there for the work week. On Sunday night, Nate Persson received the news that Salomon Correa, Andrea and Suzy Prime, Ava Luplow and Maggie Franco were in a car accident on their way back to Arkansas after visiting JHBC. Hours later, we learned that they instantly died on impact.
The news was shocking at first, and I sat in my bed in disbelief. A lot of tears were shed that day, but I found myself with an unexplainable peace and joy that surpassed the depth of my pain. The Lord is constantly reminding me to keep an eternal perspective, but I never knew it would come at such a price.
I found myself praying the words of Job, “You give and take away. Blessed by the name of the Lord.” As I watched the sunrise, I thanked the Lord for His many blessings and rejoiced because all five who died knew Jesus as their Savior and are at this moment worshiping Jesus before the throne of God. I was reminded that someday soon—much sooner than I realized—I would get to see Jesus my Savior face to face. Never before had I so eagerly longed and desired for His soon return.
We never know when our last breath might be. Life is so show and fragile. Time is running out, and I’ve asked myself, am I ready to see my Savior? Am I making the most of the life God has given me? Am I investing in heavenly treasures that will last? Or am I wasting my life away for selfish pleasures? Maybe I’m a Christian, but I’m not using my gifts for His glory and purposes. I want to be completely sold out for Jesus. I want to finish this race having poured out every ounce of strength the Lord has given me. I want to hear those words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Jesus is coming soon, and we ALL will be judged by Him. Are you ready? Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior? Or do you still have one foot in the world? John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”
As tragic as the accident was, I believe the Lord is using it to bring glory to Himself in ways that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. The story of the crash has gone viral and because of that, many people have been reached with the gospel. Their faith has been the highlight of the story. Who but our God could turn a tragedy like that into a triumph (Romans 8:28)? Many of us have been praying that the Lord would use this to cause many people to place their trust in Him, and already we have heard encouraging stories of hearts softened to the gospel. I pray that this also wakes up the hearts of believers to kindle a flame to live on fire for the Lord. What about you? How are you going to respond?
If you don’t know Christ, death is a terrifying thing—and it should be because you will face eternity in hell. But because my hope is in Christ, I have great hope because I know I will see my friends again. May we who have trusted in Christ find comfort in the words of Paul from 1 Corinthians 15: “For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead…O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Read the powerful story of love in forgiveness in this article about the accident: Father Of Two Daughters Killed On I-80: ‘I Forgive’ Driver Who Caused Fiery Crash - Cowboy State Daily
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