Ancient Words For Today - 37
I am comforted in knowing that the Lord always completes that which He starts! He is the Author and Finisher of our faith!
It was the Lord God that initiated my relationship with Him by drawing me to Himself. He used a person I met only once to tell me how desperately I needed God in my life and that I needed to give Him the reins to my heart and the helm of my life so that He could guide me to Himself and through life. Later that night when I was alone, I became convinced that I needed to ask God into my life. I prayed and asked God to come into my heart, take control of my life, and show me what He wanted me to do. I told Him I didn't know what was best for me or would make me happy but I trusted that He did. This resulted in a wonderful feeling of peace and well-being and a new-found bright hope for my future as I entrusted it to God.
God continued His work in my life, nurturing me by drawing my attention to preachers on television who taught, through Bible scriptures, that God loved me and had sent His Son Jesus to die for my sins so that I could be forgiven and receive eternal life! (Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17).
When I was a child I memorized the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd psalm. I pictured Jesus as the good shepherd who loved and tended His sheep. I also knew that Jesus had died on a cross. But I had never comprehended that it was God's plan to send His Son, Jesus, into the world to take the penalty for our sins through His own death on the cross, so that we could be reconciled to God. Neither had I understood my personal need to be reconciled to God by confessing my sins, believing on Jesus, the Son of God, and receiving Him as my Savior and Lord. But it is clear from the scriptures that this is the truth. Below is the way Jesus explained it to a man called Nicodemus:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:14-18
The moment I acknowledged my sins to God, asked Him to forgive me and received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, God made me a new creation; I was born again from above and my spirit was made alive to God. My salvation had nothing to do with my efforts to be a good person or any good deeds I had done but was solely based on God's grace and love for me (as is the case for each of us).
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:4-10
Not only has God saved us and given us eternal life through our faith in Jesus Christ, but beforehand He also ordained a plan for each of our lives. His plan is that we might walk according to His ways, enjoy a close personal relationship with Him and produce good works, which are the result of the Spirit of God working in and through our lives. As believers, we are blessed by God's presence. His grace, love and kindness are poured out to us daily and He will continue to do so until Jesus leads us to our Heavenly home, and after that - for the ages to come! Amen!!