Two Sons...One Hope

“Janice, you are here at this moment because of two sons.”  Before we note the circumstances during which this statement was made, let’s learn a little more about Janice and the two sons…

Janice David lives in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.  Over the past couple of years, however, she has traveled to Mobile, Alabama, to spend a couple of months (the winter months!) with her mother.  During her latest visit in Mobile, Janice began to experience some dizziness and other health problems.  Visits to the doctor and additional tests revealed that she had a brain tumor.

One son that has made an impact in Janice’s life is her son, Mike.  Mike David and his wife, Karen, live in Haskell, OK, 700 miles from Mobile – which seems even further to a son whose mother has been diagnosed with cancer!  Yet, David and Karen drove to Mobile (as well as Janice’s other loving children from Michigan) to be with their mother.

Mike and Karen sought out a local body of Christians...  They wanted Christians to be praying for their mother in her battle with cancer.  They also had an additional prayer request: they wanted their mother to be sure of ETERNAL life in heaven!  They recognized that it is only through Jesus – the Son of God – that one can go to the Father (John 14:6).  They also recognized that one must hear the Gospel (“Good News”) of Jesus Christ, how He died on the cross for the sins of the world (1 John 2:1-2), and respond to that message with an obedient faith.  

Mike and Karen also understood that their mother – and anyone else – 
MUST accept God’s gift of salvation on His terms in order to be saved.  

The Scriptures teach that one must: believe in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before man (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) in His name for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38) to be saved.  Mike and Karen wanted to be sure that their mother had the opportunity to HEAR and OBEY the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Janice has undergone surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible.  She has completed a series of radiation treatments.  She is now back home in Michigan.  But on Thursday, May 7, 2009, in Mobile, AL, she heard these words…

“Janice, you are here at this moment because of two sons.”  These words were spoken in a baptistery where Janice was about to be immersed into Christ for 
the forgiveness of her sins.  “ONE of the sons is your son, Mike.”  It was due to 
the love that this son has for his mother that an opportunity was presented for Janice to hear the Good News of Jesus.  “The OTHER Son is the Son of God, who died on the cross to save you from your sins” (see Ephesians 1:7).

TWO sons, ONE hope!  The hope is eternal life.  One son prayed and did what he could to provide an opportunity for his mother to learn about and obtain that hope.  The other Son died on the cross, was buried, and rose again to make that hope a reality.

Janice David obeyed the Gospel and was added to God’s family, the church (Acts 2:41, 47).  She continues her battle with cancer, but now she does it with hope of eternal life in heaven when her life on earth is over.  The joy and peace that she has now is because of the love of two sons: her son, Mike, and Jesus, the Son of God.

YOU can have that hope if you will submit your life to the One who died so that you might live.

Won’t you?

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:

                      HTML version:  subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net
                   TEXT version:  subscribe-livingwater-text@lyris.dundee.net

Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com

Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org