It was Wednesday afternoon; we were getting things ready for President Obama’s visit. Business and stress was in the air as everyone was hard at work completing tasks to make sure that the building was ready and secure for the President. Americans from the Embassy and the Secret Service would come and go from room-to-room investigating the surroundings and making sure everything was ready for Saturday, all of them in suave suits and with the built of someone from the NBA and NFL combined. I can tell you this; it is no easy thing hosting the President for a few hours, it takes a lot of work. But here we were, getting one thing done at a time.
As I was working with a coworker, who I will call Josh for confidentiality, we began talking. He asked me questions he had about God and the Bible knowing that I had done 2 years of Bible school. He told me about his alcoholic Muslim father who would beat his mother and the impact that had on him. He confessed that he had doubts about God and then turned to look at me and said: “To be honest, I don’t think that I am going to heaven because I have done too many bad things.”
As those words came out, it caught me by surprise to see such openness and honesty. Covered in paint from previous tasks and exhausted from the day, I suddenly got excited because the door was wide open to share the true gospel and I did by sharing scripture with him:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”
Romans 3:23-24
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
I told him that if it was by works than I would most certainly be disqualified as well. But the good news is that it isn’t. I shared with him that salvation is free and it isn’t about the things that we do or don’t do; it’s because of what Jesus did for us. All we must do is accept that gift through faith in Jesus Christ. He then gives us His righteousness and God sees us as holy.
He looked at me and said: “Wow. Now I know that I am going to heaven!”
My eyes got watery as I heard those words. It brought so much joy and life to know that God had just used me to clarify the true Gospel with Josh. I didn’t have to pressure him to believe, God was pursuing him and presented me that opportunity to walk him into assurance of salvation. That moment was life giving and truly humbling to be a part of. What a privilege to be used by God for eternal things.
That conversation made me realize that sometimes we are so focused on getting things done that we miss those moments where God just wants us to be available to be used by Him. We tend to look past the “little things” when in reality the whole reason for mission’s are those “little things” because they are big things to God.
I want to thank you for partnering with me on this journey. Moments like these are only possible because of your generosity and prayers. God is using your partnership to change lives eternally. Thank you and I share with you these things so that we may share together in the joy that is Christ.
I am only $5000 away from being fully funded! Would you consider partnering with me that I may continue on this journey sharing God’s love with the world?
