“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season...” (2 Tim. 4:2 NKJV)

A few years ago I received a phone call from someone who said, “Hi Mike, this is Robbie, a childhood friend from our old neighborhood.”

I didn’t remember him

He went on to describe a few things he had done with me and my brother and I finally remembered him as the little kid who used to come over to our house to play along with some other neighborhood children. He was younger than the rest of us and just blended in.

He said he was contacting me after all these years to thank me for being kind to him when he had needed it the most. He said he had been a lonely kid, that I had often included him in what we were doing, and that it had meant a lot to him.

In our conversation there had been no mention of God being in his life and that bothered me. When I brought the subject up, he seemed genuinely puzzled, but respectful.

I thought of him several times over the next few days

I lived about twelve hours drive away but felt an urgent prompting to visit him. On the way, I prayed that God would prepare his heart, that I would have the right words to say, and that he would hear and receive them positively.

 He greeted me warmly

 I put out my hand and said, “I have some wonderful news to share with you.” And he said, “I want to hear all about it!”

I told him how Jesus had changed my life and how He could receive Him, too (John 1:12). He listened and said, “I’m glad you came! It’s exactly what I’ve needed to hear and I want to receive Jesus right now!” So we prayed together and he instantly became born again (John 3:1-21). I stayed for a couple of days and he enthusiastically received everything I shared with him from the Bible. As I drove home, my heart was filled with joy as I reflected on how God had led and blessed every step of the way with Robbie.

Sometime later I called to see how he was doing and his wife answered the phone. She told me that Robbie had died suddenly of a heart attack.

I was sad to hear about Robbie, but happy to know that he had his personal Savior, Jesus, waiting for him in Heaven when he died! I was also glad I had taken the time to go see him when I had first felt the urgent prompting to do so. It reminded me of the importance of taking immediate action when God brings someone to your mind (Phil. 1:3-5). It could be eternally critical.

“Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” (Eph. 5:16 NLT)

And when you do speak with someone

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” (Col. 4:6 ESV)