. At age 19 he left the lead mines of Oklahoma for the bright lights of New York City. Unfortunately, those lights cast an eerie Shadow over his life. After Mickey's first season, his father, Mutt Mantle died of Hodgkin's Disease at age 40. His grandfather and two of his uncles also succumb to the same disease before their 40th birthdays. As a result, a growing fear of dying young haunted the budding Superstar. He would talk long into the night with his clothes teammates, confiding to them his nagging fear.
Convinced an early funeral was his inevitable fate, go off and joking about it, he played hard and partied even harder. For him there was no tomorrow. Tragically, this attitude led to a 40-year bout with alcohol that causes his body to grow old before its time and clouded his mind. Many criticized his self destructive lifestyle, saying it's sabotage the greatest combination of power and Speed the game has ever seen. And the Autumn of his life, mantle came to agree with those critics, admitting that his drug of choice, alcohol, kept him from reaching his full potential as a player and as a person. He had learned a hard lesson that a man reaps what he sows
Finally in 1994, at the urging of his family and friends, Mickey sought help for his addiction. Have two checking himself into the Betty Ford Center, he was able to win his long battle with the bottle. But he knew something was still missing in his life. He just wasn't sure what it was.
In June of 1995, doctors discovered that
cancer had Destroyed Mickey Mantle's liver. .He was fortunate to receive a transplant, and for a while it seemed as if the greatest switch hitter of all time would live to fight another day. Then the doctors found that cancer remained in his body, and he began chemotherapy. Mickey Mantle knew he was facing death. During the All-Star break in Dallas, he picked up the phone and called his old friend and teammate, former Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson, a committed Christian. Mickey asked him to pray for him over the telephone. A few weeks later when the doctors discovered that the cancer had aggressively spread, Mickey's Family asked Bobby if he would come visit him.
His death was imminent.
To honor Mickey's long-standing request, one he had made at the funeral of Rodger Maris 9 years earlier, Bobby was asked to speak at the funeral.
After entering the hospital room, Richardson went over to Mantle's bed and took his hand. Locking his eyes on him, Bobby said, "Mickey I love you, and I want you to spend eternity in heaven with me. "
Mantle smiled and said, " Bobby I've been wanting to tell you that I have trusted Jesus Christ as my savior.".
Faced with the crushing weight of his sin against the holy God and it's dire consequence, Eternal separation from God, Mickey Mantle had asked for and received the Forgiveness he so desperately needed. For Richardson, news of his conversion felt like cool rain after a summer drought, and brought tears to his eyes. For years, you talk to Mickey about the Lord Jesus but to no avail now in the final ending of his life the mick had won his greatest Victory, more glorious than any of his tape-measure home runs.
When asked later how he knew he would spend eternity with God in heaven, Nikki, after some reflection quoted John 3:16 from the Bible "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life "
At Mickey's funeral, Bobby Richardson told 2,000 mourners and a national television audience that there are only two groups of people, those who say yes to Christ and those who say no. He added that, since none of us knows when he will face his own final inning, saying maybe, is really saying no. The Bible confirms this when it says " he that believeth on the son have everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" John 3:36.
So, what about you, my friend? Remember the Bible says " all have sinned and come short of the glory of God "Romans 3:23
And.
"It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment"
Hebrews 9:27
But the good news is that "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8
In addition,"Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot".1 Peter1:18-19
Don't delay! Life is short and Eternity hastens. There is no second chance. If you have never turn from your sins and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, do it now!.. this information was taken from a Bible tract from the American tract Society Crossway. All scripture references of course our from the Holy Bible King James version. Dear friend I would ask you this if you do not know for sure that if you were to die right now that you would go to heaven, why not? The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Has God laid upon your heart the need for salvation? Do you see yourself as a sinner before a holy God in need of forgiveness. Then God is talking to your heart and he's presenting to you his dear son as your only remedy for the need of salvation. Forgiveness of all your sins can only be found to the shed blood of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
. Without him you have no hope and are without God in the world. With him you can have all the fullness of his grace and truth ,complete forgiveness of sins and be made a child of God through faith and trust in his name. Today if you will hear his voice Harden not your heart as they did in the day of provocation ,come to him confess him and ask him to save you and he will.