I WALKED AWAY
WHAT IF YOU DID NOT
Hello Driver. My name is Gaylon Taylor (aka) The Asphalt Preacher. I am a Chaplain with Faith On The Move Ministries in West Memphis, Arkansas. On March 23, 2011 I was driving this 2010 Peterbilt when I was involved in a violent three truck pileup in Memphis, Tennessee.
At the time of the accident, I was hauling 8,600 gallons of gasoline. By God’s grace the tank did not rupture and not a drop of gasoline was lost, even though the fuel tank on the tractor ruptured and caught fire upon impact destroying what remained of the cab.
In the few seconds that it took for this accident to happen, I felt the presence of God as I have never experienced in my 31 years as a born again Christian. The right side of the truck was totally torn away. However, there was little damage to the area where I was sitting.
I have been a professional driver for over 39 years. As many of you, I have witnessed accidents with minor damage where lives were lost. I have never witnessed an accident with this much destruction where someone was not killed or at least seriously injured. I walked away with six broken ribs, a broken nose, strains, and bruises.
In the midst of all this destruction, I came to the conclusion that my life would end in this accident. For just a few seconds everything became totally quiet, and I felt completely at peace. I knew that my soul was secure in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. However, I have not always had that assurance of knowing that my soul was secure in Jesus. In October 1979 at the age of 27 while driving down the road in a cab over Freightliner, I gave my heart and soul to Jesus Christ.
After many years of living a very ungodly lifestyle, the Holy Spirit convicted me that I was lost and on my way to Hell. I cried out to Jesus and asked him to come into my life and save me. And not only did he save me from Hell, but when I shared with my wife what had happened she asked Jesus into her heart as well. We have now been married for 40 years and have been blessed with three sons who are raising our eight grandchildren in Christian homes. “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:31)
Do you know for sure?
My question to you is this. If you had been driving this truck and had not survived, do you know for sure that you would go to heaven? “These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13) You can have this assurance of eternal life by asking Jesus to come into your heart and save you.
We cannot be good enough.
We must accept the fact that we are all sinners. We all fall short of what it takes of get into Heaven. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one,” (Romans 3:10). “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23). We cannot be good enough to get into Heaven on our own.
We deserve Hell.
The Bible tells us that we all deserve to die and go to Hell. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned,” (Romans 5:12). “For the wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23a).
The free gift of salvation
God has a free gift for each of us. It is the gift of salvation. Jesus came and hung on the cross of Calvary that you and I may have eternal life through him. “But, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Romans 6:23b). When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the debt for our sins. Jesus was placed in a tomb and after three days rose again. He now sits at the right hand of God the Father to intercede for you and me.
You can be sure.
You can be sure that you are saved through the gift that God has offered through Jesus Christ. Until we accept the gift, it is only an offering. It becomes a gift when we receive Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” (Romans 10:13). The way we do this is by calling on the Lord, confessing our sins, and repenting of those sins. Repentance is to turn away from our sins and turn to Jesus. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved,” (Romans 10:9)
Receive by asking.
If you would like to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so by praying this simple prayer. (Jesus I know that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and turn to you. I believe that you died on the cross as payment for my sins. I believe that you went to the grave for three days, and on the third day you rose again. I believe that you sit at the right hand of God the Father to intercede for me. Jesus, I accept you as my Lord and Savior. I ask that you come into my life and save me. Amen.)
My friend, if you prayed that prayer from your heart and truly believe what you prayed, Jesus heard that prayer and saved you. Now you need to share this with someone else. If you have a pastor, please call him and tell him that you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Also you may call me, Chaplain Gaylon Taylor @ 870-514-1263 or Chaplain David Ralph @ 870-514-0769.