When Pastor Jack Coultas of Park Grove Christian Church in Deepwater found out that Jeremy Whitman was in desperate need of a new kidney, he wanted to do more than just pray for him.
Coultas said that he also wanted to do something practical for his 36-year old church member who was battling with diabetes. When Whitman suffered kidney failure, it just put a heavy burden in the pastor’s heart.
The pastor said that when he heard the news that Whitman needed a kidney donor, all he could think about was the passage in 1 John 3:16-17,
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
He believes that this was a prodding from God to do something. So the pastor continued to pray about the situation and sure enough, his heart was moved to help Whitman in any way he could. He felt that the responsible thing to do was to see if he can be a candidate because he could not see or think of a reason not to try.
And, sure enough, after the testing, Coultas was a donor match. “It reaffirmed that this was what God wanted me to do,” he said.
On 17 January 2020, the two men went under surgery at the Saint Luke’s Hospital. The kidney transplant was a success.
The pastor hopes that their story inspires and encourages everyone to help others even if it involves risks because that is the Bible’s standard. Christ gave himself up for us and even died on the cross and to love in the same kind of love that Jesus loved us.