Do you feel that you are not the person you want to be and that you wasted a large part of your life on things that did not make a difference in this world?
Did you ever ponder that there must be something better in life and that it was not meant to be the way it is now?
I was raised in the Church as a young child and have had intermittent relationships with the Church ever since. I have studied other faiths and have had some experiences with people of other faiths. I found all to be wanting due to various reasons.
I took it upon myself to read the bible cover to cover when in my 30’s. I loved all the words and perceived it as a guide on how to live in this world. I could not have been more misguided in my conclusion.
I tried to be a good person, but there were always cases where my own selfish purposes took over. The world has a way of convincing you that doing the right thing is not always best for you. We have a tendency to take the easy way out. What we don’t realize at the moment is that we are part of the problem. We do not Do unto others as we would have them do unto us.
As I got older, I would think (quite frequently when I was alone) that the world was basically a dump and an evil place, and I could not wait for it to end. No matter what I did, I could not dodge this feeling.
In the recent past I was in an accident where I broadsided a car crossing 4 traffic lanes. There were two passengers in the other car. My car was a total loss. The other car had damage but was able to drive away. The most amazing part was that no one was injured.
Some people would call it luck or fate. The problem I have is I do not believe in luck or fate. Many incidents have happened in my life which most people would not have survived. No one is that Lucky. There had to be some intervention.
I met people, my wife among them, who invited me to FCBC and never gave up with their kindness and encouragement to come to the church, study the bible with others. Learn that reading the bible is not enough if there is no understanding and a way to link all the different messages together to see clearly the true meaning of what God wants for us.
I knew I wanted a relationship with God the Father, and I asked that he give me the means to have that relationship with Him. Now I know that understanding Christ and who Christ really is and what He has done for us is where the true meaning of our relationship with God the Father comes from.
To me the defining moment originates in “The Gospel According to John”.
“In the beginning was the Word (Jesus Christ) and the Word (Jesus Christ) was with God and was God.”
After thinking about this for several minutes, I had a great moment of clarity. I have always loved the Word, and the Word is Jesus Christ. God the Father has been pulling me towards him for many years and I was too blind to realize it. I had let the flesh, and my own desires take over me and define who I was.
I burst out in tears and thanked the Lord for my salvation. I knew I was saved without any reservation or doubt.
I can feel the difference because, any time I start to wander towards the flesh and my own desires, I get messages in my thoughts that this is not the way. I talk to the Lord and sing to him in my mind frequently. I say good night, good morning, and thank you all the time with a heart full of gladness and joy.
I am a lot more tolerant and easier going than I used to be. I have never been known to be patient with people who don’t understand what I am telling them. A result of my advanced education. Do I still stumble? Yes. But Christ’s spirit is always there to correct me. What a wonderful feeling.
I talk about Christ to others now. Something I never used to do before. The best part is that I know Christ lives in me and I in Him and that he will never ever abandon me. He loves me and wants me to have the same relationship with Him that He has with God the Father. What more can a person ask for.
I would like to leave you with 1 John 4 12-13:
12 No one has ever seen God: If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit.
The temple of God and the tabernacle of the congregation has the Holy place and the most holy place. In the holy place, the priests carry out daily sacrifices. The most holy place and the holy place are separated with a veil. In the most holy place, only the ark of covenant was there. Only the high priest enters the most holy place and he enters there only once in a year, the day of atonement, to make atonement for the children of Israel. The presence of God is always revealed on the ark of covenant at the points where the wings of the cherubs meet above the cover of the ark of covenant. The most holy place is a representation of the throne of God. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil separating the holy place and most holy place was torn and everyone now have direct access to God through the atoning blood of Jesus.
God wants to have personal relationship with each of us. Thank God for establishing a personal relationship with you. That is the best thing anyone can have. May the Lord sustain us all in our personal relationship with Him in Jesus name.
Shalom