For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications. — Psalm 86:5-6
Seldom when I am asked to perform a eulogy or a sermon for a funeral, do I fail to also offer an opportunity for those in attendance to give their hearts to Christ. Some have viewed the practice in a funeral setting as inappropriate due to the circumstances but I have always responded by pointing out there probably are no better circumstances. Why? Because death is in full view and since we all face the eventual end of our finite lives here on earth, we must make a decision of where we will spend eternity—with Jesus or separated from Him forever. It’s called heaven or hell.
Such was the case last year when I performed a funeral service for the mother of my son-in-law at a Senior Center. She had been very active there up until her death and the majority of her friends were her age—80+. At the end of my message about her rejoicing in heaven because of her decision for Jesus on earth, I encouraged anyone present to consider making a decision about their eternal destiny—had they not already done so in the past. I offered a simple prayer that they could repeat silently or in their heart and then made myself available to anyone who would like to discuss any decision they may have made. No one did inside the Center but as I was heading to my ride home, an older friend of my son-in-law asked if he could drive me back to my home because he wanted to talk to me.
Well, talk we did and just as we pulled into my driveway after a thirty-minute drive, I asked him if he wanted to give his heart to Jesus. He said, “Yes!” Hallelujah, what a Savior! But there’s more to the story . . .
Two days later I received a call from God’s new convert, asking me if I would speak to his mother on the phone about Jesus. She was very sick and had just come home from the hospital—but she listened very carefully as I shared the gospel and told her how much Jesus loved her. When I asked if she wanted to give her heart to the Lord she answered in a soft but very joyous voice, “Yes, I do!” Bless her heart—she died the next day.
A week or so later, after presiding at her funeral, my new friend asked me if I would come to his house and share the gospel with his sister, his daughter and her boyfriend. They all said, “Yes!” that day to Jesus—and what a beautiful confirmation of their decisions when we baptized them all over the next few weeks.
It’s amazing what will happen when the Holy Spirit speaks to the human heart. All we have to do is say, “Yes!” — Maranatha!
“God is good all the time. All the time God is good!”
