As we drove back from Prescott, where I conducted the memorial service for my longtime friend, Tim Ashbrook, I was just thinking about how God changed that man. He was raised to be a good boy, married a wonderful young lady and had two children, but something was missing — Jesus as Savior. During what I call the “Great Wrecker Trip” (more on this later), Tim met Christ not just as a man but as His personal Savior and Lord. He was 25 years old at that time.
From that time until his promotion to Heaven last week, God continued to do an amazing work in his life. Tim became a beacon of light to people whose lives were in darkness. What a wonderful change in his life had been wrought since Jesus came into his heart. Tim Ashbrook was one of the finest Christians I’ve known.
A Poster that Has Served as a Constant Reminder
In the early days of my ministry, I came across a poster that read: “Please be patient; God isn’t finished with me yet!” That has served as a constant reminder for me over the past decades. We should never judge the character of a person too quickly. We should never expect a newborn believer to be a seasoned Christian in a few days, or even years. The process called sanctification takes time. Salvation is an immediate experience, but becoming the individuals Christ wants us to be takes a lifetime.
Some Encouraging Advice from an Apostle
Over the course of my ministry, I have heard many say, “I am trying to do good things to work my way into Heaven.” That can’t be done, but once God’s grace has saved a person, they can certainly work for the Lord on the way to Heaven. Salvation first — sanctification second.
The Apostle Paul had a life-changing experience. I told Tim shortly after he was saved: “The Apostle Paul, while traveling to wreck the lives of believers, met Jesus on the road to Damascus. While on a trip in a wrecker to tow a church bus, you met Jesus on the road to Texarkana.” That day, the Lord began to do a work on that man who had been my family’s friend for the past 44 years. Like Paul, Tim prayed for family, friends, coworkers and customers. He never hesitated to share the Good News with people from every walk of life.
Here are the words the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write to encourage believers in their walk for Christ: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy… from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:3-6 NIV).
God is Patient — We Should Be Also
Make no mistake, life is hard. Living in these last days is daunting. The Christian life is not one of ease but often of suffering. But nothing we experience will compare to what Christ endured for us when He took our place on the cross. If you see another struggling in their walk, please be patient. God isn’t finished with them yet, nor is He finished with you! The Lord is still working, molding you into the vessel He wants you to be. “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter. We are all the work of your hand” (Isa. 64:8 NIV).
