“For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’ Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2Lovingly, Aunt Florence
My Great-Aunt Florence was a strong woman; she was confident in her faith, and to me, She. Was. Brave! I admire her courage, because like her, I care about my loved ones’ salvation; but unlike me, Aunt Florence went beyond caring and took action! The possibility of backlash, ruffled feathers, or hurt feelings didn’t stop her from reaching out to every member of her family who she had an address for, inviting us each to accept Jesus if we hadn’t already. Her letters spoke of the peace, trust, and contentment she found as a result of her faith in God and she urged us to seek the same through accepting Jesus’ sacrifice, going to church, and reading the Bible. She closed by writing: “Whether your response to this letter is positive or negative, I’d love to hear from you.”
It’s hard to admit, but I’ve missed opportunities to speak of salvation with others, simply because I fear receiving those negative responses that Aunt Florence openly welcomed, (I’m sad to say, her “brave gene” didn’t get passed on to me), but rereading her old letters has inspired me to do better! And I’m going to try and start now.
Have you stopped to think that we have less time to live today than we did yesterday? And that tomorrow, we’ll have less than we do right now? With everything going on in the world at this moment: the fear, the panic, the unknown, it seems the perfect time for each of us to stop and consider our future. We all know this, but our present circumstances clearly remind us that we don’t know what lies ahead. Let’s ask ourselves, are we prepared?
Twenty-five years ago at the age of almost 90, My Great-Aunt Florence shared these scriptures with our family and with me. And now, I’m going to share them with you:
“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’ ” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)
Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’ ” John 14:6 (NLT)
“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)
And I’ll add this one to hers:
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)
The world is in turmoil. The future seems bleak. But here’s the good news: there’s no reason for despair. WE HAVE A HOPE! My heartfelt desire is for each of those I love and care about to spend no less than eternity with me in Heaven. I feel the same about you, who are reading this! Let me end these more than “five minutes” with some of the last words Aunt Florence shared and while they were written for me and my family, I know without a doubt, she wrote them with the intent that they’d be passed on:
“For many years Christ has been my strength, my shield, and my song, giving me peace that passes all understanding. He’ll give it to you, too, if you’ll ask Him.
Evermore keep the faith!
Lovingly, Aunt Florence”
Today’s prompt is “Less” over at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com Click over to read what others have written today! As always, I appreciate you taking your time to stop in. God Bless!