He was a man known for sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll.
Ingrid’s husband passed away two months ago, his life revolved around women, drugs, and making Jaco known for sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll. As we walked into their million-dollar ocean property house up to Mark’s office I stood at the door in shock. At this point all we could do was peer into this room because it was so jam packed with stuff there was no way we could even walk into the room.
This room was full of surfboards, surf magazines, books, wooden statues, stuffed animals, figurines, dolls, old computers, an old sushi refrigerator, and this was just scratching the surface of what was in there. As we began to clean it out we asked Ingrid if it was a storage room and she said it was Mark’s office and no one was allowed to enter. It got me thinking as we rummaged, cleaned, organized, threw out so much junk that it’s really sad this man had so much stuff. It’s sad to me that he felt so unsatisfied and discontent with his life that he was searching for satisfaction in material goods. Because the room was so full you could just tell that his life was so incomplete that he was just looking for something to fill the void- little did he know that the thing he protested the most (God) was exactly what he needed. You see Mark was not known for being a godly man; in fact it was the complete opposite. He was known for having bachelor parties at his house, sex, drugs, alcohol, and most of all despising the Lord.
Preface: At the beginning of the month I had been attacked by a huge lie from Satan that my salvation wasn’t real, that because I can’t name the exact time/day/year I accepted Christ that my salvation is not of value. Let me tell you how big of a lie that is! This month I have been processing and working it out with the Lord what really salvation is and what it looks like. While I was feeling attacked and almost distant from God, He kept reminding me of Lake Junaluska where I accepted him and when I went to Nags Head and was baptized in the ocean and how my relationship with Him is a journey of constantly being in awe of his love, mercy, and grace. Through His grace He revealed to me how scary it is for my brothers and sisters who do not know Him as their personal Lord and savior, their Papa that loves them immensely more than they will ever know, how scary it is to not know what it’s like to have a personal relationship with Him or to know if you have been saved. He was showing me the urgency of the gospel and how it should be on my heart and lips daily. That every person I encounter should know and see Jesus Christ in me whether through my actions or words so that they may not be afraid on judgment day.
Since this revelation I have been reading, “Follow Me” by David Platt and let me tell you it makes me want to preach the gospel and disciple every day of my life to everyone. That salvation is not about praying a prayer, its not about walking down the isle on an alter call, its not about knowing the exact day or time… it’s about knowing Jesus Christ. It’s not about you it’s about his invitation to you before you were even created. It’s nothing that we can do, its not simply going to church, leading a Bible study, singing in the choir, doing good deeds, following rules, healing, speaking in tongues, speaking prophecies, rather it’s falling on our knees at His grace. You see, I think we get too wrapped up into things we do rather than our relationship with Him. David gives an illustration that if a Mack truck hit you, you wouldn’t be the same as you were before you were hit. Neither should you be the same when you accept Jesus’ invitation into your life. Everything about you should change. There should be a visible difference from the inside out. I think one of the scariest scriptures is where it says in Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
Does that not scare you? It scares me to think about the people in my life or people that I know that think that the things they do or say or that going to church makes them able to get into Heaven. In reality we are only able to go to Heaven under his grace and mercy and by having a real relationship with Him.
Back to Mark: Praise God that He pursues us every day of our lives and redeems us even to our death-beds. Remember Mark I was describing earlier? Well two months before he died; he was hit by the Mack truck of reality that he was dead in his sins and the only way to life was through Jesus Christ; that even all the sin he lived in and ways he messed up God his father loved him so much to forgive him of any sin to the point that He doesn’t even remember what Mark did in his life. My prayer is that God’s glory is revealed through Mark’s story. That people will not remember him of the things he did but they will remember his story of completion that God brought to his life.
Praise God in salvation. Praise Him who is Holier than Holy. Praise Him who deserves all praise.
My question to you is what does your relationship with Jesus look like? Do you think your salvation is based upon your works?
With all my love
Cam
