By Melissa Sharp
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
James 4:14 NIV
“Don’t take even one day for granted… not one moment… make the most of every day you’ve been given and run your race with all you have until you make it to the final finish line and hear the words, ‘Well done good and faithful servant’”
This was the message of Pastor Luke at the funeral of Rudy Zevallos Jr., aka “Junior,” on Monday, October 14, 2024. At only 18 years of age, this young man, with so much promise, collapsed at the finish line of the Frog Hill Half Marathon on Saturday, October 5, 2024. He had just completed a goal he set for himself to finish in under two hours.
This day had a profound impact on everyone at the race that day. No one was prepared for what happened. As I watched the ambulance transport Rudy’s lifeless body to the nearest hospital, my prayer that he would come out of this soon turned into an even more fervent prayer for some confirmation that Rudy knew Jesus and that this was his first day in paradise. We wanted to comfort the family and each other with this knowledge!
“Oh Lord, please give us confirmation that this young man was saved!” I prayed.
Thankfully we soon learned that nearly a year earlier, Rudy had been saved and baptized!
Although Rudy’s untimely passing filled his family, his friends, and his fellow runners with intense sorrow, we could all now rejoice in the midst of our sadness because we KNEW that the moment Rudy finished his earthly race here, he entered into the gates of Heaven. The very moment after Rudy took his last breath here, He took his first breath in the presence of God… all because Rudy had made the choice to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
The tragic passing of Rudy serves as a wake-up call that none of us know “what will happen tomorrow.” Which begs the question asked in the book of James: “What is your life?” The answer is that we are “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Therefore, we should make every day count! Jesus paid a terrible price for our sin and if we have received His gift of salvation, we need to spend each day properly representing His kingdom so others can be saved too! We need to be sharing the Gospel in word and in deed to everyone around us. Jesus lived in the Gospel of love to His very death:
“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
John 13:1
Jesus commanded us to love as HE did:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35
We are the light of the world, and when we are constantly developing the attitudes of Jesus, the Gospel rides on the wings of the Spirit. We are in prayer for those who are resisting the Gospel; we are loving those around us.
As divine intervention would have it, I discovered that this is exactly what happened with Rudy!
Rudy had folks who loved him so much that they were intent on making sure he came to know Jesus. They shared the Gospel. Rudy’s pastor served as a chaplain to the Lebanon High School football team. He was patient, caring, loving and kind to Rudy and eventually was able to lead him to accept Jesus as his Savior! In other words, Rudy was surrounded by people who loved him as Jesus loves us and commands us to love each other! Some day, those faithful ministers of the Gospel, who led Rudy to Jesus, are going to hear these words from Jesus:
“Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
Matthew 25:23
We don’t know how much time our neighbor has left; we don’t know how much time our children have left; we don’t know how much time WE have left! Life is precious. So, in the words of Pastor Luke, “don’t take even one day for granted my friend.” Plan for your eternal future. Live each day as if it could be your last… serving the Lord with all your heart and loving others as you are called to do… knowing that your life may be the light that leads the lost to Jesus. I believe that when Rudy entered Heaven on October 5, 2024, he heard Jesus say: “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise of eternal life that You have given to every person who makes the choice to accept You as their Lord and Savior. Thank You for the comfort this gives Rudy’s family as they hold onto the promise that their son is now with the Father. Lord, help us to live each day to the fullest, doing all that we can to lead the lost to You. It’s in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
