Truth Seeker
As a young child I remember being intrigued with the picture of the earth taken from space. I don’t remember the exact year, whether it was the year the astronauts orbited the earth or landed on the moon. What I do remember is the impression I had; if the universe is this big, and earth is this small, then I, being only 5 or 6 years old, must be smaller still. And if that is the case, then God must be really big, and what does He want with a small person like me?? I was a teeny-in-size "truth seeker"!
I remember where I stood as I asked my Mom about this. It was in the hallway. I don’t remember exactly what my mother said, but it was something along the lines of “we are here to honor God, and bring Him glory.”
My next childhood recollection is of a conversation I had with my sister on the stairs. Once again I don’t remember exactly what she said to me, or what I said in reply, but I do remember running down the stairs to tell my Mom I believed in Jesus. For someone who likes to understand things exactly, it’s frustrating that I don’t remember conversations exactly!
When I entered a Christian college I started hearing things like “head knowledge, vs. heart knowledge” and "true believers" vs. those who only thought they believed--"false professors." My assurance of salvation evaporated under such pressure. Perhaps I had deceived myself, because the “heart is deceitful above all else, and desperately wicked, who could know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). I tried to go back in my mind to my childhood and remember what I thought, said, or prayed, but because I couldn’t remember exactly, I could get no relief from the doubts swirling in my head.
It took a move to Dallas, years of sitting under good preaching (my own husband) and meeting others to finally cement what I knew all along: Jesus died to save sinners like me, and if I believed in him, I would have everlasting life.
Now I’m “sold” on assurance. When I read verses that formerly caused consternation I can rest in the promise of Jesus that “whoever believes in me has eternal life" (John 5:24). This assurance comes from what Jesus did for me, not what I do for Him. His final words on the cross were “It is finished.” The demands of God had been met by the perfect man, the Son of man, and a holy, righteous and just God, Jesus Christ himself. I Peter 2:24 confirms this when it says, "He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." Assurance doesn't come from what you remember exactly, but from Whom you exactly believe, the Lord Jesus.
As I’ve grown, I’ve come to understand one of God’s purposes for me in this big world of His; it is: to help others around me to understand who God is, what He has done, the wonder of His promise of eternal life, which is truly free, and assurance that it can’t be lost, which is truly freeing.
God is looking for you! If you want to find Him and begin to understand Him, you will find Him when you look to Jesus; He said, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him"(John 4:23).
I remember where I stood as I asked my Mom about this. It was in the hallway. I don’t remember exactly what my mother said, but it was something along the lines of “we are here to honor God, and bring Him glory.”
My next childhood recollection is of a conversation I had with my sister on the stairs. Once again I don’t remember exactly what she said to me, or what I said in reply, but I do remember running down the stairs to tell my Mom I believed in Jesus. For someone who likes to understand things exactly, it’s frustrating that I don’t remember conversations exactly!
When I entered a Christian college I started hearing things like “head knowledge, vs. heart knowledge” and "true believers" vs. those who only thought they believed--"false professors." My assurance of salvation evaporated under such pressure. Perhaps I had deceived myself, because the “heart is deceitful above all else, and desperately wicked, who could know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). I tried to go back in my mind to my childhood and remember what I thought, said, or prayed, but because I couldn’t remember exactly, I could get no relief from the doubts swirling in my head.
It took a move to Dallas, years of sitting under good preaching (my own husband) and meeting others to finally cement what I knew all along: Jesus died to save sinners like me, and if I believed in him, I would have everlasting life.
Now I’m “sold” on assurance. When I read verses that formerly caused consternation I can rest in the promise of Jesus that “whoever believes in me has eternal life" (John 5:24). This assurance comes from what Jesus did for me, not what I do for Him. His final words on the cross were “It is finished.” The demands of God had been met by the perfect man, the Son of man, and a holy, righteous and just God, Jesus Christ himself. I Peter 2:24 confirms this when it says, "He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." Assurance doesn't come from what you remember exactly, but from Whom you exactly believe, the Lord Jesus.
As I’ve grown, I’ve come to understand one of God’s purposes for me in this big world of His; it is: to help others around me to understand who God is, what He has done, the wonder of His promise of eternal life, which is truly free, and assurance that it can’t be lost, which is truly freeing.
God is looking for you! If you want to find Him and begin to understand Him, you will find Him when you look to Jesus; He said, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him"(John 4:23).
 |
God has truly given you the gift of writing with an even greater gift of clearly communicating His message. Praise God! Thanks for sharing your heart in writing. God bless ya real good as much as you bless we who know you!
ReplyDeleteSet of entertainment and rivalry stock vector illustration. To see more clearly what occurs, allow us to simulate 200 spins many instances, simply as we did with a single spin. For each simulation, we'll record the whole winnings from the 200 spins. Then we'll make a histogram of the 5,000 totally 1xbet different simulated total winnings.
ReplyDelete