The first night at Training

Nashville is the training site for the Preparing Communities of Refuge course I am attending. We assembled last evening and the course started in earnest this morning. Last night, I had the opportunity to chat with Sean, a 23 year old with a deep understanding of faith. 

Sean grew up in a Christian home, with great parents who were disciples. He joined the service after graduation from high school and says, "I realized I was Christian because I grew up in Oklahoma, and my parents are Christian." He spent some time as a prodigal, but a Christian friend helped him find his way back to Christ. 

We talked about his reason for coming to the conference. He said he had a steady job and was making a life but doing nothing for God. One day, he told me, we will have to answer to God for how we served Him. "I didn't want to say, 'I did nothing.' People are persecuting Christians, raping Christian women and I do not want to face God one day and have to admit that I did nothing to help."  He had to start somewhere, so he googled "how to help persecuted Christians in Iraq", found this course, and signed up for training. He has said from the start that he plans to deploy to Iraq to serve the very Christians for whom he has been so burdened. 

One day, Sean will stand before our Lord, and I expect he will hear those beautiful words, "Well done, good and faithful servant. When you did it unto the least of these, you did it unto Me." Sean understands a basic principle we all would do well to embrace. We are accountable for the impact we make in the world. We are accountable for how we serve, as well as for how we do not serve. 

There will come a day for each of us when we step into eternity and give account of our lives. Be sure, dear ones, that the account you give will stand up to the divine inspection, and remember that when you serve the least person, you have served our Lord.