My Choice to Follow
I can’t remember a time in my life when I did not have an awareness of God. Even as a young child I worried when I did something that I knew was wrong that God would be angry and punish me. I made several attempts to run from this guilt by “asking Jesus to save me”; it never made the guilt go away because my heart was never really in it. The thought of being a Christian interfered with my desire to “live life” and not miss anything; but the awareness of God and the urgency to follow after Jesus never went away. I wanted the assurance of eternal safety without the commitment to live a life of piety.
Unfortunately I did not understand that Jesus was not calling me to a life of “Don’ts” rather He was calling me to a life of “Do’s”; a life that had purpose and peace. So, how did I join the ranks of those who are called Christians? Well it came to a climax one May in 1984. I had been struggling with several critical life decisions; unsure about what to study in university. At the time I was also being challenged by a group of friends to take a closer look at what a follower of Jesus really was; when I compared their definition and my life, they were radically different.
I wanted what they had; purpose and peace. Being selfish and always wanting my way came naturally; what I did not realize was that my desire to live life on my terms was the single thing that separated me from the purpose and peace I so desired. I physically could not rest; I wanted what my friends had. I prayed to God that Jesus would come into my life and takeover; but nothing happened. I still felt empty and miserable.
Then one evening I felt the urge to call my dad; he was always there for me, praying for me, encouraging me in letters, and words. He had already gone to bed when I phoned; asking me if anything was wrong. I blurted out that I felt God was calling me into the ministry.
And that was it, a peace and clarity of life came over me in a way that I can’t put down in words. I had finally yielded my desires to His plan. I tell people that the following morning my senses had changed; the sky was bluer, the grass greener, something was altered. That day I went and purchased a small pocket Bible, and I began reading it. It was amazing, it was as if I was reading it for the first time; words leapt off the page at me, I began to experience conviction for things I had done in the past. Over the next few weeks I worked at making reparations for those things I had done; it involved confessing and seeking forgiveness from some people and returning items that I had taken from others.
Those first few months of being a Christ follower were a blur; God began to change everything about me. My desires, temperament, thoughts, actions, and host of emotions began a radical transformation.
As I look back to that May (now almost 30 years ago), I recognize that coming to a relationship with Jesus had nothing to do with the “words” coming from my mouth; rather it was coming to a place in my life where I recognized I would be nothing apart from Him. He chose me, and I chose to follow. Jesus asks his disciples in John 6 if they were going to desert Him the way others had; Peter replied “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69 NLT).
So that was how it started for me; lot’s of mistakes over the last 30 years, many of them just last week and today. But the sense of purpose and peace has never left. I am an unashamed follower of Jesus Christ; He is first and foremost in my life. My greatest desire is to be a worthy disciple of His; that my words, actions, and attitude would be like Christ. There is not a moment during my day that I am not aware of His presence. But unlike when I was child, that awareness now brings me peace.
Oh, and about that confession to my dad about “being called into the ministry”; I have been employed fulltime since May of 1984. But it’s not a paying job. I don’t work for a church, I don’t have a “public” ministry; but I do represent Jesus as a husband, a father, a son, and an employee in the oil and gas industry. You see, ministry is not just standing in front of a congregation on the Sabbath; it’s also being a godly husband and father, a “true” friend to those who are hurting, and living a life that has the consistent message of “Jesus loves”.
My love always,
Dad
God Loves You
John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus Christ], so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. (John 3:16-21 NLT)
Steps to a relationship with Jesus Christ
- A recognition that the eternal God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you
- An acknowledgement that your life is messed up because of sin – pride, selfishness, lust for power, etc.
- The surrendering of your life to Jesus by simply asking Him to come in; He is the only person who can erase your past sins – from the inside out
- And finally, resting in the everlasting assurance that He will always see you, hear you, and love you more than you could ever imagine
Here is a very simple conversation (prayer) that you can have with Jesus: Jesus I confess that I have messed up my life and have no one to turn to. I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and I want you and need you to come and takeover my life. Please make me into the person that God wants. I love you; Amen
Now what? Get a Bible and begin reading, I enjoy the New Living Translation (NLT) because it is easy to understand. Find a group of other followers of Jesus and share your recent decision to follow Christ. If you cannot afford a Bible or have questions about getting involved in a local church, just email me and I would gladly get you in touch with others who would begin sharing their life with you.