This
Could Be The Last Time
My dad was a 'good man', helpful, a
church board member, one who told
the truth as he saw it to others. He went to his church and
didn't want to hear anything about my 'religion' after I received Jesus
into my heart in 1976.
Then in 1977 he found that he had
lung cancer. He received
chemotherapy for about a year until one day when the doctors told him
that he had become resistant to all their chemotherapy drugs, and they
could not prolong his life any longer.
That evening I went to visit my dad
in the hospital. When I
entered his room the first thing he said was, "I want you to tell me
how to become a born again Christian." I suppose that when he was
finally really facing death he realized that being a good church board
member was not going to carry much weight before God.
I was shocked, but told him that it
was basically two prayers: 1)
"God have mercy on me, the sinner", and 2) Lord Jesus, come into my
heart and be my Savior and Lord." He said, "I have already been
baptized - doesn't that count?" I told him that Jesus said,
Mar 16:16
"He who believes and
is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be
condemned."
My point is that if a person does not
trust Jesus for his salvation, it
does not matter what kind of rituals he or she has experienced.
Dad did not say, "Let's pray" so I
knew that the Holy Spirit would just
have to cook him come more with the truth.
About two weeks later the local back
doctor who had tended my dad's
back for 40 years called me at my office. He said that my dad was
in his office and had something he wanted me to hear. So handed
the phone to my dad (who was so weak from the chemotherapy that he
could barely talk). But dad told me that Dr. Jones had just told
him something that he had never heard before:
2 Cor 6:2
(For He says, "In an
acceptable time I heard you, and in a day of salvation, I helped you;"
Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.)
2 Cor 6:2 (For He says, "In an acceptable time I heard you, and
in a day of salvation, I helped you;" Behold, now is the accepted time.
Behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Dr. Jones
told him that today is the day of salvation. It is never tomorrow
because no one is guaranteed tomorrow, especially if one has run out of
chemotherapy!
So I could hear my dad cover the
phone receiver, ask Dr. Jones what
those two prayers are again, and then he said to me on the phone, "Here
goes." And very rotely he said, "God have mercy on me, the
. Lord Jesus, come into my heart and be my Savior and
Lord." Then hd took a deep breath and exclaimed ,"Well praise the
Lord!"
I knew from my own experience that a
ton of sins had just lifted off of
my dad. The same thing happened to me when I first prayed those
prayers!
That was the last conversation I was
able to have with my dad. He
was so weak that he could no longer talk to me. But the next day
I chatted with my mom. She told me, "I don't understand all of
the born-again Christian stuff. All I know is that your dad slept
like a baby for the first time in about six months, and he said that he
wasn't afraid to die any more."
So, dear reader, today is your day of
salvation too. Never
tomorrow, for no one is guaranteed tomorrow. Whatever you do,
make sure that you do not die in your sins! Get right with God
now that you have the chance! This could be the last time.
You don't know. And you have no idea how wonderful it is to
receive Jesus, receive forgiveness that He purchased for all of us on
the Cross, and to be reconciled to our heavenly Father when we
surrender to His plans and purposes for our lives!!