Kne
Email "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow..." (Philippians 2:10).
Mike Benson, Editor
MARCH 24, 2008
THIS PAST WEEK, I learned that a young man, a freshman at Freed-Hardeman University drowned in the ocean while on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic...
Shane Ruiz was wading in the ocean with several friends on the last day of their mission trip, when a rough wave knocked him over and an undertow pulled him out to sea. Attempts were made to rescue him, but all attempts proved futile. This young man was in the Dominican Republic, along with several other fellow students, to teach a Vacation Bible School for children living there, and to work with a Children's Home. After a long week of work, their schedule called for a trip to the ocean before returning home to the United States.
My first thoughts when I heard of this tragedy were the thoughts of a parent. I too, have a child at Freed-Hardeman, and I can only imagine what this young man's parents must be going through. I would ask that you remember them in your prayers.
But my second thought was the last verse of a song we sometimes sing in our assemblies. The song is entitled, "Follow Me" and was written by Ira Stanpill in 1953. Here is the third verse of that song:
Oh, Jesus if I die upon a foreign field some day,
T' would be no more than love demands, no less could I repay,
No greater love hath mortal man than for a friend to die,
These are the words he gently spoke to me.
If just a cup of water I place within your hand,
Then just a cup of water is all that I demand,
But if by death to living they can they glory see,
I'll take my cross and follow close to Thee.
Now here's the point of my article. This young man died while engaging in the work of the Lord. While many young people across our nation use their Spring Break to immerse themselves in immorality and drunken revelries, this young man spent the last week of his life trying to teach children about Jesus. While I am saddened by the events that ultimately occurred, I am thankful for the choice he made.
Friends, all of us, if we could choose, would want to leave this world while doing the work of the Lord. Even Balaam, the wicked, greedy prophet in the Old Testament prayed, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his" (Num. 23:10).
But now, allow me to leave you with a question. If you were to die doing the work of the Lord, would you have to die on a Sunday morning only, between the hours of 10:30 and 11:30? Give it some thought. (Steve Higginbotham)
KneEmail: "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his" (Num. 23:10).
Bible reading for 05.12.08:
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