How I Met My Saviour

    According to John 6:44, God The Father was drawing me to Himself long before I ever sought Him. He did the saving work about 2000 years ago when Jesus died and rose to pay for all sins for all time. The Holy Spirit did His work in my life millennia after to convict me of sin and show me my need for a Saviour.
    So even as I relay my personal circumstances, it's important to remember that God alone does the saving work. I relay this first because it's part of my story.
    Growing up as both a MK and PK, I got to hear The Gospel constantly in family devotions, Sunday School and church. I got to see the Gospel lived out in my parents and siblings.
   And when I was about 5 or 7 or so, I made a decision to ask Jesus into my heart as Lord and Saviour. There were a few other factors God used. One was an alphabet book that had a Bible verse for every letter. The first one was Isaiah 53:6- "All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way, and The Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all." Next to the verse was an illustration of a boy putting a heavy burden down off his back at the foot of the cross, much like Christian in "The Pilgrim's Progress" by John Bunyan. The text of "At the Cross" was also printed there- "At the cross, at the cross where I first saw The Light and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy all the day."
    In a testament to the power of stories, the other factor that hit me was probably one of the goofiest stories ever written in a family Bible devotions book. (Which seems rather fitting for my generally goofy personality. :-)) It was a story about a man who loved his pet pig and apparently managed to take him on a cruise ship. The pig fell overboard and the man loved that pig so much that he risked his life by diving overboard to save him.
   Even in this simple form, it still got the heart of The Gospel across to me as a young kid. God went way overboard with us when He actually lowered Himself to become human, live among us and bear the same trials and struggles we bear for 33 years, knowing He could call legions of angels at His command and stop this whole shebang any time He wanted- but choosing to give up His superpowers (much like Superman did in "Superman II") just to be near us- and then to die for the sins of the world. That's crazy, dude! Especially growing up in a country surrounded by people with very different conceptions of God that said that man is supposed to work like crazy to appease an angry god and maybe if we're good enough we can hack it into Heaven. Nowhere in the script did it call for the Playwright to enter His own story and and save the whole universe by His own sacrifice! WOW!
    So I decided that night after hearing that story in family devotions to pray and receive Jesus so that He could save me from the Hell I deserve and instead take me to the Heaven I don't deserve.
   All that said, after about 3 decades out from that time, I have struggled a number of times throughout with worries and doubts about my salvation- about whether my pumpkin patch was as sincere as Linus' and if I did something wrong and so forth. As I've said before though, I've doubted myself more than I've ever doubted God. So yeah, there have been times of reaffirmation and renewing my vows and such. (As 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, such heart checks are good to do every so often.) I finally came to a place where I realized salvation is totally dependent upon God and not on me. I put faith in His saving work and just take Him at His Word.
   Though I am very thankful for the Christian family I have and being surrounded with The Gospel, I have also sometimes felt like it can be easy to fall into a cultural faith that becomes built on Pharisaical religiosity. I've felt like maybe at times I was hard-nosed on some things in Pharisee fashion, whether I meant to be or not. I found it extremely helpful reading theology books like C.S. Lewis ("Mere Christianity", "The Screwtape Letters" and "The Weight of Glory" are particular favourites) and Tim Keller ("The Prodigal God" particularly- a book that helped me learn to repent of any righteousness I thought I ever had on my own) and Philip Yancey ("What's So Amazing About Grace?" and "Disappointment with God" are both awesome!)- and definitely Brennan Manning's "The Ragamuffin Gospel". (A book I have read and reread and cried over many times! God loves us just as we are not as we should be- 'cause none of us are as we should be.)
I recognize that there is no good in me- Jesus is my only good.
    And that's where I am now. God is always faithful even when I'm not. When I fall back into sin, I go back to 1 John 1:9. He forgives and restores.
   I also believe, if people are honest, we've all struggled with doubts at some point. I think God uses them to help us have an even stronger faith in the end. 1 John 3 is an extremely helpful passage for that! Even when my heart condemns, God is greater than my heart and He knows everything. He tells me The Truth. He who The Son sets free is free indeed. And when we're adopted as sons and daughters of The King, we're His forever! (John 1:12 and Romans 8:12-17 and 11:29)
    I mentioned the power of stories earlier and I would definitely add reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis as a kid was also influential. There is a great line in "The Silver Chair" where Puddleglum declares that He's going to live as a Narnian even if there isn't a Narnia! I felt much the same when it came to dealing with fickle, funny, Funky Winkerbean feelings- I'm going to live for Christ no matter what my feelings say at times. I know Whom I have believed in and He is Faithful and True. As Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright explained in the Four Spiritual Laws, the feelings are like the caboose on a train. The engine of faith drives it with or without the caboose. Thus, my faith rests in the facts of God's Word. My faith has found a resting place not in device or creed-I need no other argument or plea- it is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me.
    And Hallelujah- He rose and He lives and He's coming again! And because He lives, we can live also. :-)
   (Note: I know this may be somewhat long, but I thought someone else might appreciate hearing this, especially in regards to soteriology.) Jesus loves you! Don't ever forget that. God bless :-)