Jesus Saves

There is a purpose in our suffering, so that Christ may be exalted through us.  Romans chapter 5
teaches us that we:
(3) glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

God is with us, and even in our times of difficulty, we know that He is there, and He provides us the opportunity to trust Him, so that He can perform His desired inward work in our hearts and do the outward work so people will see and come to know a faithful and loving God, who sustains us even in our difficulty.  Our overall life story as Christians consists of those times that may have looked bleak, but God has shown Himself mighty.

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Day by day, moment by moment, we can know that God is with us and He desires to work through us for His glory. 2nd Corinthians 4 says:
15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18a while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

Tyler Moon wanted to proclaim his faith in Christ in a unique way as he ran in a 10-mile race associated with the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota a few weeks ago.  On his bib for the race, he could have had his name placed there above his number for the race, but he decided to take a different direction.  Moon told The Christian Post that he "had a thought that I should change that to something that should be a profession of faith...Something that can display Jesus and God to the world,” adding, “I thought it was just a very simple statement that one, could fit on a bib and two, I really thought it describes who Jesus is and what He did for us and how He saves us for eternity.”

The message was simple: Jesus Saves.  The article goes on to say:

He hoped that “someone in the crowd, another runner, or a volunteer or someone would be encouraged by that profession of faith. Or they would maybe ask a question or they would have something go off in their brain to think more about Jesus. That was the original intent,” Moon said.

As he came to mile 8, Tyler experienced a heart attack.  He fell down, which resulted in a concussion, as well as some bones fractured in his face. Fortunately, a fellow runner who was behind him in the race, was able to attend to him - someone who is, as the Post reports, "a certified registered nurse anesthetist who's knowledgeable in CPR."  The article says:

The runner’s name, as reported by the Pioneer Press, is Jesus Bueno. His first name is pronounced “Hay-SOOS.” Bueno helped to treat Moon until the injured runner was transported to a nearby hospital.

That's right - his name is spelled J-E-S-U-S, but pronounced a different way.  But, God had him there in just the right place to help Tyler.  The Pioneer Press article reports that Bueno told one of his colleagues, who was also in the race, “We’ve got to start CPR...” It goes on to say:

The colleague began chest compressions while Bueno breathed for Moon, using a mask supplied by a race attendant.

Moon said he was told chest compressions continued for between five to 15 minutes. Neither man was sure of the time, because as Bueno said, “It was kind of a blur.”

Eventually paramedics arrived. Bueno continued helping, putting the patches of the defibrillator on Moon so they could shock his heart back to a regular rhythm.

The Christian Post article, which was published this past Saturday, states:

Moon told CP he found it “pretty wild,” adding it was funny “how God takes that and blows it up and sends it out to the whole world.”

“I was just thinking about the bib and the purpose of it was trying to spread the name of Jesus and try to encourage other people,” he said, noting that he was “shocked” at how much attention the incident has gotten.

As for his health, Moon told CP he was “doing really well” and had just gotten back to work earlier this week in an effort to “slowly roll back into normal life,” albeit while also “keeping track of my brain health.”

It's true - Jesus saves.  And, in this case, Jesus (hay-soos) saved!  The interesting twist to this story has perhaps been a contributing factor to the spread of it.  But, think about the hand of God and His response to Tyler Moon, who had that desire to proclaim the gospel.  We can consider for ourselves how we can spread His message.  As He leads, inspires, and empowers, we can be devoted to sharing who Jesus is.

Now, think with me about the series of events here.  Tyler wanted to share the gospel, so he put the phrase, "Jesus Saves" on his track bib.  He had a medical emergency, and God provided a skilled person to be right there for him.  And, his story has now spread.  The story does not contain all positive elements - just like our own stories!  But you can know and reflect on the fact that even in the times of difficulty, God is working.