As we pulled to the side of the road and watched, praying that no one was still in the bus, it only took minutes for the roof to cave in and the bus to be completely destroyed by the flames. Even from our side of the road, we could feel the heat of the flames. It only took a few more minutes for fire trucks to arrive and they had most of the flames put out very quickly.
It is amazing to see, in a blink of an eye, how quickly circumstances can change and life, as we know it, comes to a screeching halt. The issues of life that we think are so important, so pressing, can instantly disappear or become so much less important when we face life or death.
Thankfully, everyone was able to safely get off the bus. The question for us is...are we willing to go inches from hell to rescue one more soul. Are we willing to get out of our comfort zones to share Jesus' love with that person that God has been placing on our heart and mind?
The Good News is only good if it gets there in time!
Our desire should be to take as many people as we can with us to heaven. How amazing would it be to get to heaven, and have someone say to you, "Thank you for telling me!" or "Because of you, I am here today!"
As we often share in churches, Scott told God when he was struggling with this calling, "God, I will not go now. When my children are grown and out of the the house, I will go where you want and do what you ask." After God got our attention through Scott's heart-attack and we finally said yes to His calling, our son, Matthew, came to us and asked, "If you had stayed here and waited until we were grown, what would have happened to all the little kids in Pavia right now?"
We would have missed an entire generation!
WOW!
I don't have any words to describe the hurt in my heart that I feel when I think of how close we came to missing God...to missing those little ones that need Jesus so desperately!!
Do I think those children would have missed their opportunity to meet Jesus because of my disobedience? I honestly don't know, but I do know the pain in my heart when I think of that possibility.
Esther 4:14 grows stronger in my Spirit every day, as I think about the life and death situation she faced, as Mordecai says to her,
"For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews
will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish.
And who knows but that you have come to royal position
for such a time as this."
I don't want to be the one who said no and God had to send another.
I am a child of the Most-High God!
I have a royal position to fulfill!
You are a child of the Most-High God!
You have a royal position to fulfill!
We have come to the kingdom for such a time as this!!
Will you join me on this amazing journey that Jesus has called us to and fulfill our calling and go within inches of hell to claim just one more?
