Will You Remember

Last night I received a phone call from a friend whose aged mother was in the hospital, living her last few days on this earth. My mind quickly drifted and fond memories of times spent with this friend flooded my mind. I would love to share a couple of those humourous stories with you but space does not permit. We don’t spend much time together anymore, but the Christian bond that had been made in those early days of our Christian lives will never be broken. I will always remember my friend!

November, of course, is the month US we set time aside to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. World War I and World War II seem so distant now. There are few living who experienced those most difficult days and we are so quick to forget their sacrifice. Last summer, as I was browsing the web, I came across my grandfather’s attestation papers for the Naval Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. He made it in just as the first world war had ended. As many in his day, he had a great desire to fight for freedom. Many of our friends will remember the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and still quite fresh in all of our minds are “Desert Storm,” the Gulf war, “9-11,” the destruction of the Twin Towers and our continuing struggles in Afghanistan and Iraq. We have all been touched by those who gave of their lives. We will always remember our friends!

Over 2,000 years ago, God the Father sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to this earth to fight a battle which would bring freedom forever! Humanly speaking, it didn’t seem like much of a battle. Even while He was being betrayed by one of His own, Jesus Christ calmly told Peter to put away his sword and then healed the enemy’s guard whom His disciple had wounded. He gave hardly any defense when accused by the authorities. He didn’t even struggle when being led to his death. I suppose secular historians of that day would have said His final defeat took place when He was nailed to and crucified on the cross, but just the opposite was true. In Romans 5:8 we read, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” When Jesus Christ died on that cross, He paid the penalty which was set by God Himself as the punishment for our sin (Romans 6:23). Three days later, when He rose from the dead, Christ conquered the grave, He conquered Satan and He conquered death itself to bring new life to those who would receive it (1 Corinthians 15:51-58).

In 1973, I received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. After listening to my brother explain the wonderful news of salvation, later that night, I knelt beside my bed and accepted God’s free gift of salvation. Christ became my Saviour and my closest friend. I will always remember this Friend! Will you?

Post by: Larry Rushton, Open Bible Bulletin Editor


The above article appears in the November 2011 Open Bible Bulletin.


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