First some verses, and then a message that is inspired by a very special young lady, and her favorite very special inspirational song. (all emphasis mine)
Isaiah 54:13, ESV “All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.”
Psalm 127:3, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”
Matthew 18:1-6, “At that time, the disciples came to Jesus saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me, but whoever causes one of these little ones, who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and be drowned in the depth of the sea.’”
Matthew 19:14:15, “But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven.’ And He laid His hands on them [Blessed Them] and went away.”
Matthew 18:10, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in Heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in Heaven.”
As stated at the beginning, a very special young lady, who totally believed in our Blessed Savior, showed more of a relationship with Him in the ten short years she was on this earth than some will show in a full 70-plus years’ lifetime.
Her name was Sophia, and she had Diabetes Type 1. This is incurable and can be fatal, as it was for her. However, as she left this earth to be in the arms of our Savior, she was responsible for “saving” at least five people through organ donation. And, just as important if not even more so, her grandfather accepted Jesus at her funeral. Besides these, she touched the lives of many people around the world who learned of her story.
There is no doubt in my mind that, as she left this earth, our Savior personally welcomed her home as one of His most precious “lambs.” The hard part of all this is for all who were left behind to carry on after she was gone. The family naturally feels a deep loss but, through her, they have actually gotten closer to Jesus.
Her mom has said that more and more her eyes have been opened to all that’s going on in this evil world, and has started looking forward to, and longing for, the Rapture. Understandably, her faith took a momentary hit, but realizing where we are in end-time prophecy has actually drawn her deeper into her belief that Jesus will be returning soon. She knows that He is our only true Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), and when we all finally go Home, she will see her precious Sophia again.
Since Sophia passed away, her mom has had some vivid dreams of what the Rapture will be like. One could safely say that the loss of her daughter on this side of Heaven caused her to become closer to the Lord and gain a relationship with Him that will last for all eternity.
Sophia was well-loved by family and her classmates at school. She had a favorite song that she played a lot, and her mom said that parents of other kids said they played the same song repeatedly for months. Through one precious child of the Savior, so many have been influenced.
The song is “Thrive” by Casting Crowns. I must admit, I don’t listen to a lot of contemporary music, as Southern Gospel is my favorite. However, while preparing this message and listening closely to this song, it has grown in my heart. It’s on YouTube, and I highly recommend it.
“Here in this worn and weary land where many a dream has died, like a tree planted by the water, we never will run dry. (John 4:13-14)
So Living Water flowing through, God we thirst for more of You. Fill our hearts and flood our souls with one desire. Just to know you and make you known, we lift Your name on high; shine like the sun, make the darkness run and hide.
We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives. It’s time for us to more than just survive; we were made to Thrive.
Into your word we’re digging deep to know our Father’s heart. Into the world we’re reaching out to show them who You are.
So Living Water flowing through, God we thirst for more of You. Fill our hearts and flood our soul with one desire. Just to know you and make you known, we lift Your name on high; shine like the sun, make the darkness run and hide.
We know that we were made so much more than ordinary lives. It’s time for us to more than just survive; we were made to Thrive.
(repeat 4x) Joy unspeakable; Faith unsinkable; Love unstoppable; Anything is possible!
Just to know You and make you known, we lift Your name on high; shine like the sun, make the darkness run and hide. We know that we were made so much more than ordinary lives. It’s time for us to more than just survive; we were made to Thrive!
We were made to Thrive; We were made to Thrive!
Even though Miss Sophia was only here for a short while in earthly terms, her influence affected the lives of many people. One definition of a “disciple” is “one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrine of another, such as Christianity; one of the twelve in the inner circle of Christ’s followers according to the Gospel (good news) accounts” (Merriam-Webster). I have no problem at all saying that this truly amazing young lady was, and is, a disciple for the Lord.
One fact that should come from all this is we’re not guaranteed another day here. At any moment, our soul could be required of us. With this in mind, if you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior, don’t you think it would be a wise move to do so now? There are only two eternal outcomes – Heaven (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:9-13) and Hell (Revelation 20:11-15). No other options exist no matter what many false prophets are saying today.
This world has seen changes happening at a pace faster than ever before. Evil is running rampant. Through the words of Jesus, Paul, John and others, we are in the time of the last days of this era. We are about to hear the Trumpet of God, and the shout from the archangel so that all true believers will rise up to meet Jesus in the air (1 Corinthians 15:51-53; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
Please be assured that all who truly call on Jesus to be saved will be with Him and Miss Sophia and avoid the coming Wrath/Tribulation that is about to start. Hope to see you there!
All Praise and Glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Amen!