On This Day in 1985....

There are so many stories I could tell about myself!  I have so many strange and funny things that have happened to me.  Some are not even believable and some are so embarrassing that I'd never share them here.  I might consider sharing them with ladies in a ladies' meeting...but not here for the world to read.  The most important thing I can share with you about me is the day I decided to trust Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour!

He is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.  You won't get to Heaven by your good works or being baptized.   Praying is good, but it's the One we pray to that saves us and not our worthless prayers.  After all, they are simply prayers, prayed by sinners - me and you!  God is such a great God to hear and answer our prayers.  He saves us because He is God and He loves us.  Not because our prayers are worthy of anything in particular.

God loves us each and every one as much as the next.  You don't have to worry that He will say "no" to you.  You don't have to worry that your sin is too big for God to forgive.  God is so much BIGGER than any sin you or I could ever do!  His death on the Cross was all we needed!

Here's how I came to know Jesus for myself:

The date was April 7, 1985.  We were living in Spain at the time. I remember walking home from church with my dad one Sunday, and asking him questions.  I don't remember exactly what those questions were, but, I do remember that he took me into the living room, and sat me on his lap.

He told me the story of Jesus.  I knew that story by heart just as I knew that Jonah had been swallowed by a great fish,  Noah had built an ark, and my favorite - Queen Esther...a real life princess story!  The story of Jesus dying on the cross had been like all the others to me...

Until this particular day...this day I understood, for the first time, that *I* was a sinner.  I felt so guilty for the bad things that I'd done.  I remember crying and thinking that I needed a spanking for those things.  I knew I deserved a spanking.  But a spanking wouldn't pay for all those sins and my sin had to be paid for.

There are 2 ways that our sin can be paid for.

1.  I could pay for my sin myself in Hell.  Hell is a terrible place prepared for the devil  and his angels; not man.  Hell is a place where people that chose not to follow God would spend an eternity burning and falling in utter darkness.  Never to escape.  Never to see God or family or friends ever again...  Hell was a place I didn't want to go.

OR...

2.  I could trust Jesus' death on the cross as MY punishment.  I could ask Jesus to forgive me of those bad things that I had done and take me to Heaven.  You see, when Jesus died on the cross for us, all of the sins (or wrong doings) of the entire world were placed on HIM.  Jesus was God.  Jesus had never sinned...EVER.  Yet, it pleased the Lord to bruise Him.  It satisfied God to let Jesus, His only SON, pay the price for my sin and for yours on the cross.  For the sin of the entire world, Jesus died.  The price of our sin has been paid.  There's no reason for anyone to spend eternity paying for something that's already been paid for.

We are not automatically saved because the choice is ours to make.  God wants us to chose Him.  He wants us to love Him and train our children to do the same.  Man was created to walk with God, to be His friend.  That is the whole reason for man.  What good is a friendship that is forced?  {Would you feel loved if you had to force me to love you?  Or would you rather have someone love you because they chose to do so?}  God doesn't force us to do anything. 

The decision is yours!  God is willing and waiting to forgive you of everything you've ever done so that YOU can go to Heaven.  There is NO sin TO BIG for God to forgive.  Do you think something like a sin could be BIGGER than GOD??  No, my friend, you have not done anything so big that God cannot forgive.  He is waiting for you to turn to Him!

On April 7, 1985, I bowed my head and asked Jesus to forgive me of my sin and take me to Heaven.  There were no magic words.  There were no bright lights.  Only a little child that realized my need for a Saviour.  I'm so glad He loves us enough to make the way easy.  He loves us so much!  He did the hard part!  He paid the price.  All I had to do was call upon the name of the Lord. 

Romans 3:23 ~ For all have sinned (done wrong) and come short of the glory of God. (can't go to Heaven because of our sin)

Romans 6:23 ~ For the wages (or payment) of sin is death; (eternity in Hell/separation from God), but the gift of God, is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

Romans 10:13 ~ For whosoever (that's you!) shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

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