Are We There Yet?

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

For Mother's Day I asked for books and I was blessed to get them.  I finished "The Life and Ministry of Healing Evangelist Raymond T. Richey" overnight.   He lived from 1893 to 1968 and ministered the Gospel to millions.  The original biography entitled, "What God Hath Wrought" was written by his wife Eloise May Richey in 1925.  He was hit in the eyes with a tree branch as a child and by early adulthood he was almost completely blind.  God miraculously healed him from blindness, and later from Tuberculosis.  He dedicated his life to the ministry.

I truly enjoyed this book, and I bet you are wondering where I'm going with this.  Well, today I had the pleasure of being in a Zoom meeting with some of my favorite people in the world.  My Aunt Sophia asked what does the Bible have to say about everything that is happening in the world today.  The Bible has a lot to say, and it's been said for generations.  Raymond T. Richey lived during the "Terrible Flu" or Spanish Flu of 1918.  The book tells about how he's ministered to hundreds of soldiers who had the flu.  Some survived and many died.  Thankfully, many accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior and we will meet them in heaven.  Even back then, the people of God were anticipating the return of our Lord.  They looked at World War I and later World War II and thought surely this is the end times.

Jesus said, "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the END is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and PESTILENCES, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."(Matthew 24:6-8, KJV).  He goes on to describe some scary times for believers.  Then he says, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."(vs 14).  Don't miss this!  The Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached in ALL the world before the END of the world.

This reminds me of a day when I was riding the Metrolink from East Saint Louis, Illinois to Saint Louis, Missouri for work.  A young man stood up and calmly gave a quick message from the Lord.  He sat down and we all went on about our day.  Most people on the train probably had no idea what had just happened.  They heard the Gospel.  When we stand before God, no one will be able to say they didn't know.  No person arriving in Hell will ever be able to convince the Judge(God) that they were ignorant of the Gospel.  Even if you never set foot in a church, and never watched a church service streaming live, or never heard the Gospel on a commuter train, the earth screams that there is a God.  Psalm 19:1-4 says, "The heavens tell about the glory of God.  The skies announce what his hands have made.  Each new day tells more of the story, and each night reveals more and more about God’s power.  You cannot hear them say anything. They don’t make any sound we can hear. But their message goes throughout the world. Their teaching reaches the ends of the earth."(Easy-to-Read Version).

God wants us all to spend eternity with Him.  He did not create Hell for humans, it was meant for our adversary the Devil and the fallen angels.  But he allows us free will, and the opportunity to choose.  He loves us, and wants us to love him back.  But just like Bonnie Raitt sang, "I can't make you love me, if you don't." (You younger ones probably enjoy Tank's rendition, but I digress).  God won't force you to do anything.

Technology is allowing the Gospel of the Kingdom to be spread faster than ever, and we know that Jesus will be returning soon.  In the meantime, we have an opportunity to be a blessing to everyone we come in contact with.  People should see us living large and ask, "what must I do to be saved?"(Acts 16:30, KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia