For those of you who do not know, on Monday, my papaw went home to be with Jesus. For those of you who already knew, I thank you for the prayers, messages, and condolences. It means a lot to me and my family.
My papaw was one of the best people I have ever known. He was Godly, kind, generous, forgiving, loving, selfless, funny, sarcastic, smart, and brave.
As Christians, we are called to be "Christ-like," and if there was ever a man who did his best to live like Jesus and follow the Word of God, it was my papaw. He just reflected the character of God so well, and I will always look up to him for that. He wasn't perfect, but he sure did love the One who is.
I was closer with my papaw than most people are with their grandparents. I spent every weekend at his house, and now, I will always cherish those memories. Sitting across from him at the dinner table, going on drives where he and mamaw grew up, hearing him say, "Nighty night night night" or "Leslie Grace, how are you?" when he sat down in his chair.
I miss him so much already, and I cannot believe he is really gone. It is in these moments though that I am most thankful for the Gospel.
My papaw believed the Gospel. He believed that without God, man was lost in his sin and headed to hell. He believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. He believed that Jesus lived a sinless life and died on the cross to save man from his sin. He believed that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. He believed Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God and will come again one day. He believed Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He had assurance that he was going to Heaven when he died.
See, I have the promise that I will see my papaw again, in a place where we will never say goodbye ever again. I have that promise because there was a moment in papaw's life and in my life that we realized we were sinners and separated from God and that God sent His Son to save us and bring us back into right relationship with Him and then placed our faith and trust in Him as our Lord and Savior. We both surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ.
Tonight, if you realize you are a sinner and need a relationship with God, I beg and plead for you to give your life to Jesus tonight.
The Bible says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). Tonight, if you will just call upon the name of the Lord and ask Him to forgive you of your sin, you can know without a doubt that you are going to Heaven when you die. You can have eternal life in a place without pain, suffering, worry, stress, crying, sickness, death, and evil.
If you make this decision to give your life to Jesus, please contact me on Instagram, Twitter, or email (lesliejessie20@gmail.com). Please feel free to contact me as well if you just have questions about Jesus and the Gospel.
Papaw, I love you and will miss everyday. Thank you for everything. Thank you for believing in me, supporting me, loving me, making me laugh, and teaching me to love Jesus with everything I have. I am thankful for the promise that we will see each other again one day and that you are right now in the presence of our Lord.
I like to think Jesus gave my papaw the biggest hug when he entered His Kingdom. I imagine that papaw is laughing with my cousin Big Al, telling Billy Graham we watched a movie about his ministry this past summer, talking with Apostle Paul about his granddaughter who loves to study Scripture, and most of all, worshipping Jesus with his hand raised high just like he did on earth.
Bruce Williams spent 82 incredible years on earth, but he is spending an even better eternity in Heaven.
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
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