I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior in 1975. That was a long time ago. One thing I knew, then, was that I was forgiven, my sins were removed, my slate was clean. He loved me and died for me to set me free. I KNEW that! I didn’t know the Bible, I didn’t belong to a church, I only knew that I was forgiven and new.
I was so excited I couldn’t wait to tell others. I was so excited that others hid when they saw me coming, and then…they too accepted the Lord and they became “born again”.
This was during the Charismatic movement in the Catholic Church and, following my mother, I began to attend prayer meetings. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, Wait! Don’t stop reading because you don’t believe that is for today, or that is only for the Apostles. Who told you that anyway? No one told Stephen, Philip, Barnabas and many others, so they just did what Jesus said. Look for yourselves.
Anyway, I couldn’t wait to start reading the Bible and finding out what is said. It came alive.
That excitement lasted about three years. I saw miracles. I saw addicts set free and arthritis and migraine headaches healed by the laying on of hands (by just plain, ordinary believers, just like Jesus said).
Over the years, the excitement wore off and the world crept in. I was leaving my first love and becoming self-consumed again. Little by little, like Chinese water torture, self became more important.
When I attempted to get back what I had, I joined a bible teaching church, I diligently listened to the Pastor. I learned about faith and the power of it. I learned and learned. I liked my church and loved my Pastors. I became involved in service and small groups and training, and the like.
We eventually changed pastors and our new Pastor began really teaching the Bible. He took more than a year and a half to go through the Old Testament historical books giving us a clear understanding. He had us do daily readings and we read the Proverbs and Psalms. His teaching was clear and concise. I began to take BibleCollege courses to learn more. He took us through the Gospels, tying the Old and the New Testaments, showing threads and shadows and how it all led to God’s Plan to set us free.
I was filled with knowledge, filled with faith, yet something was missing.
On New Year’s Day, 2014, in a little book, I found what it was. It was just plain Jesus!
That day in 1975, I met Him. I knew He loved me unconditionally. But, over the years, I forgot. I started adding have to and if to the Gospel…“conditions”. Then, I tried to meet all the “conditions” I had imposed upon myself, or had imposed upon me by various teachers, books, etc.
Jesus spoke to two types of people: religious and believers. To the religious, He said, in essence: “You’ll never be good enough. You have to be perfect to enter into My Kingdom.” To the Believers, He said, “I have covered it all, you only have to believe in Me and tell others about the good news!”
I now know when I read the Bible or listen to teaching, I must rightly divide the word of truth…there are no if’s or have to’s in the Good News, just Jesus, who did it all for us and finished it.
It’s called “Grace”, unmerited, empowering, freeing, loving Grace! Grace to just love God and others. Grace to set others free! He just plain loves us! We can’t escape His love and we can’t make Him love us more! All I had to do is believe…and it’s still all I have to do. He did all the rest.
juliesramblings 