Now I Know
Before I ever knew this scripture, I knew
that not everyone dies and goes to heaven. I knew that separation from God
was not a good thing and I wanted to know the truth about what happens when we
die.
As a child, I always wanted to go to church, which was a problem for me
because my family didn't attend church. I would find a way to go off and on
with friends and my mother was more than happy to take me and drop me off
(which I was always embarrassed by). I was baptized when I was 10.
I remember being asked if I believed Jesus was the Son of God and I said
yes. I got wet and I got my little certificate to prove it.
I was the typical teenager who did a lot of stupid things. I hung out with the
wrong people, I went to church occasionally, and I did what I wanted. I was
searching for happiness and trying to fit in. I met Mike right before the end
of my senior year in high school. I remember the first weekend we went out, he
took me to his little church - the same church where we were married six months
later. Crazy I know! I just turned 18 when we got married. We continued going
to that church on Sunday mornings, never getting a thing out of it. I thought
it boring, but I was glad to be there because that's what I was supposed
to do.
God got my attention on February 14, 1986, when my 28-year-old brother was
killed in a car accident. My brother was a great guy, but he never went to church,
and he had never been baptized. My family didn't even have a preacher to call
for the funeral. We were put in contact with Reverend Morris from a local
Baptist church. Coincidentally (but there are no coincidences when
God is involved), I worked with the preacher's daughter. As I began questioning
God and searching for answers, we began attending that Baptist church with my
good friend and coworker. When we decided to join that church, we went forward
and were asked about our salvation. Still relying on that childhood
baptism, I was good to go. Because we were coming from a Christian church
instead of a Baptist church, they wanted us to go through a new members
class and to be baptized again. During those next few weeks, God was working,
and it finally began to click with me as I began to realize that I did not have
a relationship with Jesus, I only had a baptism. All I can tell you is that
when I was baptized again, it was the real deal! I didn't just get wet, I felt
like a new person when I came up from the water. The baptism didn't save me,
but my life was changed. I began growing in the Lord and I began trusting God.
The Bible began making sense to me and I wanted to get know God through His
word.
One of my favorite pastors that I listen to online tells a story about
sitting next to a woman on an airplane and when she finds out he's a pastor,
she holds her drink up and says what would God think about this? He tells her,
"I don't think God cares about that. He cares about you and He will talk
to you about that later." I love that because that's how it was when I got
saved. It wasn't that I became a Christian and now I can't drink anymore or
listen to AC/DC (old rock band for those who don't know). My desires began
changing and I didn't want those things in my life anymore. The closer I got to
God, the farther I got from things I didn't need in my life. My life became
more about God and less about me.
I can't tell you the exact moment I got saved because it wasn't about
walking an aisle and praying a prayer. But I can tell you that I have a
relationship with Jesus Christ, and I am growing every day in my walk with the
Lord. He is the most important thing in my life, and I don't want to live a day
without Him. I look to God for strength and for wisdom. I'm not perfect (far
from it) but I am forgiven. There is not a doubt in my mind that when I die, I
will be in heaven with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It's not because of
anything I've done but it's because of what's He's done for me. Praise
God!
Comments
Post a Comment