Seth... Save by GRACE, September 16, 2010 How you can be saved...HERE
As you will read below, Seth was "born again" before the date above, but that date was the date of the consummation of his salvation--HEAVEN.
NOTES
More — in the notes below, & HERE in the "Black Folder"
Grace and Lovingkindness to a 7-year old (this was written on October3, 2011)
During my illness, as I lay on my bed in the late afternoon, an amazing thing happened to me. I was prompted—gently but persistently, several times— to look over on the bedroom wall where I keep a series of frames holding the written testimony of my son Seth, who went to be with the Lord about a year ago at the age of 24. I have resisted doing that very often because of the impulse to dwell on the sorrow of missing him so much. As I was awaking and began to think on things I needed to get done around the house and in the ministry work, this gentle, yet persistent prompting nudged me with something to the effect of “read the inscription copied from your Bible.” One of the frames held a note I had recorded in the flyleaf of my Bible about when Seth was saved at the age of 7. After some resistance on my part (because of the sadness associated with missing Seth), I determined in my heart that God was gently nudging me. So I got up to read it. Before I proceed, a little context...
I was saved at the age of 9 years. But my adult mind didn’t really come to grips with all that salvation in Christ meant until I had the maturity to recommit my life to Jesus at the age of 31. I have often wondered about this. Was I really saved when I was 9? Or was I actually saved when I was 31? Can a child so young actually know enough to believe in Jesus and be saved? What about Seth? He was only 7. I have the additional comfort of having among those framed written testimonies several where Seth, during a particularly hard time in his life, confessed Jesus as his Savior when he was in his early 20s. So I had no doubt that he was safe in his Saviors’ arms. But was his experience at the age of 7 for real? That is the context in which I got up out of bed to re-read, after a long time, the note I had recorded about Seth’s trip to the alter at age 7. Here is what I read,
The inscription above reads: "Had prayed for Seth's salvation long & hard—At Broadway Baptist revival, Seth sat in special kid's section with Christopher after kid's night meal downstairs, & responding to evangelist Dalton Young's call, gave his heart to Jesus —Monday, October 4, 1993, 8pm. I had just been called out of sanctuary by nursery worker to get Andrew, who was crying for "daddy", & was in parking lot & [ I ] missed it —but Seth didn't !!! Before church Seth ranted & raved & didn't want to go because he couldn't find [a] friend to take —but Jesus called him — praise the Lord !!! Revelation 3:20
I was astounded. Why? The gentle voice that moved me to read this had His reasons. Look at the date. October 4, 1993. I was reading this in late afternoon, October 3. God was showing me that the next day was the anniversary of the salvation of Seth. I was immediately convinced of several things. First, yes, in His abundant grace, Jesus had in fact saved my son at the age of 7. And surely, me also, at the age of 9. God had held onto Seth all of those years as He promises, bringing him while he was in great distress 17 years later to write of his faith in his Savior as a young man of 21. And me too, when I was 31. The salvation of a young child happens, and became more apparent as I examined God’s Word.
And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said,
"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble...for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 18:2-6; 19:14)
Praise God for His Grace through Jesus to my 7-year old, who has now turned 25 in Heaven!
(this was written on October3, 2011)