I received a letter this week from a 94 year old man who had seen an article about me on the front page of the Tallahassee newspaper. In shaky but careful handwriting he wrote that he was unsure of his salvation. He has spent a lifetime living a moral and good “Christian” life, but he cannot bring himself to fully surrender to Jesus Christ. He was worried about his salvation and asked for help in that regard.
Hmmm… What can I say to a 94 year old man that he hasn’t heard 1000 times before?
I told him that faith comes from hearing the word of God and that he would find his answer in the Bible. I urged him to read Romans and John and then the New Testament from cover to cover with special concentration on the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He lives in a retirement community in Tallahassee and I told him to either go to church often, or at a minimum seek out some other believers and have fellowship with them, and I advised that he could contact me and I would be happy to meet one on one with him. I also sent him one of my books which he mentioned in his letter.
I told him that prayer was important too and that he should ask God to remove whatever barrier was preventing him from fully surrendering. I mentioned to him that his stubbornness and unbelief came from satan and that if he would recognize it for what it is the Bible states that if he will resist him, he will flee from him.
I have been praying for this man off and on ever since I read his troubling letter. He is definitely in the final inning of his life and not that much time is left on the clock to make a decision that will affect eternity. What a terrible situation to find oneself in… I feel a huge sense of urgency here.
As I thought about it this morning, none of us know when our time to die will come. You might be in the final inning of your life. I hope and pray that this issue is settled for everyone reading this. I told this man that God had made it as easy as He possibly could. Simply believe that Jesus Christ is the living Son of God who died on a cross for our sins; confess that we are sinners and ask His forgiveness, and follow Him. Jesus did all of the work; all we have to do is believe and put our faith in Him. If you haven’t done this I hope you and this 94 year old man will do so today. Pray for him won’t you…
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!
John 16:6
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Romans 10:9
If you declare 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 it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame