Never forgot my calling

Name: Trace Thomas

Church you attend: Church of God of Prophecy Foga Road, May Pen, Clarendon

Position in church: Youth director

How long since being saved: 24 years

How did your conviction come about? My conviction came at a young age while attending church with my family, hearing the teaching and decided that I wanted to live a life that will allow me to be with the saints when the Lord returns, rather than on the other side.

Most challenging momemt since being saved: My most challenging moments were during my teenage to early twenties, where there were so many influences in my life that would cause me to think twice about my faith, or to sometimes challenge me to forget about the calling that I have received.

Most miraculous moment since being saved: I can remember that I was travelling in a motor vehicle with other members of my family and friends. We were in an accident where the car ran off the road into a gully. Based on how the accident occurred, there could have been lost lives; but as the Lord would have it, there was not even a scratch on anyone in the vehicle. That, to me, was surely a miracle of high order.

Message to Christians: Christians today I think are being distracted by so many things that are taking away from the real purpose that we are to serve. Some of us, all we do is play church; we go whenever we can, but cause more harm than good. We are involved in malice, infighting, power struggles; and all this happens within the Church. How are we going to achieve the goal of bringing persons to Christ when most of our time is taken up with these things? We need to spend more time taking care of the spiritual needs of those who are in need rather than selfish personal desires. It is not enough to just keep church, sing, preach, testify and then go home and repeat. What about St Mark 16 v 15: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature". It is our duty to take the Gospel to those that do not come to us, wherever they are.

Message to non-Christians: According to Matthew 16:26 "For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul? " We are humans, and yes, we have human desires which tend to desire the finer things in life, and also want us to enjoy our lives as much as we can. But how much are we willing to sacrifice for the fun and the finer things. Sometimes, the finer things come at too much a cost. You may spend your entire life chasing after those things, and at the end of it, you realise that it counted for nothing, as there is still something missing or you may not even have the chance to realise. I am by no means suggesting that we should not enjoy our lives as best as possible, but there is certainly enjoyment in the Lord. The Bible says we are promised an average of seventy years on this earth. On the one hand, we can use that seventy years or however much of that we live to see, however we choose, or we can on the other hand live our lives the way Jesus Christ prescribes, and inherit a life of eternity in a way more beautiful and more joyful than we can ever imagine. The Bible serves as a guide to the life He wants us to lead, and I implore you to use this guide to achieve the ultimate prize of life eternal.

Favoutrite Bible Scripture: Matthew 16:26

Favourite song:It Is Well with My Soul

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