Praise be Jesus Christ, for ever and ever. Amen.
I
have been in love with Jesus my entire life. As a child, I was always looking
for him. As an adult, I felt called to him. But, I was stubborn and wanted to
live life my own way.
And
for that reason, especially as I look back on some of the stupid things I have
done, I am so grateful that God is merciful.
As
I grew, I always knew that God wanted something from me. I could hear him
calling me to a vocation. As a young man, I contemplated becoming a Baptist
preacher like my father. God just never revealed a way for that to happen.
Now,
as a Deacon I see God has been leading me to this vocation for so long. During
this journey, I have had a relationship with God, through Christ Jesus, and the
Holy Spirit. But even the best relationships can suffer when one is in that
relationship is hard-headed.
That
hard-headedness has allowed this world has lead me to places of darkness, I
should have never been. These were times when my sins added infidelity upon
infidelity in my relationship with God. Yet, God always shielded me with his
angels, persons around me that were His messengers speaking to my heart and steering
me closer to Him.
Then,
God Himself allowed me to be shut me down. He gave me time to think about our
relationship.
I
had pneumonia, my lungs had collapsed. The doctors had to operate and before
surgery a doctor asked if he could pray with me. Then he told me to count
backwards from 10.
My
last words were Amen, ten, nine….
The
sleep from the anesthesia was dark. There was no light. There were no thoughts
or dreams. There was nothing.
When
I awoke, all I could think about was a life without God. It was realizing a life
of darkness and nothingness; and, a life without love. Without God, there was no
love for my wife, children, parents. In that darkness and nothingness there was
no relationship with God who had always been there with me.
Although,
I had always loved God, from that moment on, I was passionately in love with
God. The God I knew was true and living. I was passionately in love with God, the
Father, creator of all things, and the only Son, God who is at the Father’s
side, and God the Holy Spirit, that is the breath of life in us, the love about
us, and the passion for God that is in us.
This
was all because of God’s rich mercy. Lord let my tongue be silenced if I ever
forget you.
Most
persons in the world are in the darkness and nothingness that exists without a
relationship with God.
It
has happened before like in the story of the people of Judah. They thought they
were strong and important. They didn’t need God. They mocked the messengers of
God, despised His warnings, and scoffed at His prophets. They turned their back
on a relationship with God and brought about darkness to the people of Judah.
Sounds
like things today. People are so in love with themselves they have forgotten
God. They have forgotten their brothers and sisters. The mock what God has revealed
in scripture. They despise the truths of creation. They scoff at His Church.
All
they want is instant gratification, instant knowledge, and immediate pleasure.
Science is important unless the science does not prove their point. The
internet and their smart phones have become their god.
Truth
has become unimportant. Opinions have become
the relevant. And to a person in this reality, God is no longer as important as
the debate of the gender of a toy potato
Jesus
warned “The light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because
their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and
does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.”
Sometimes
God uses a worldly culture that is against him to teach a lesson.
One
thing for sure, God doesn’t need me. God doesn’t need any of us believers. But,
in his compassion, He enjoys us. He loves us. In His mercy, He forgives us. He
proved that sending his son, Christ Jesus to be raised up on that cross so that
everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
But
most are stubborn and want to live in their own way. That is until they learn there
is a better way to live than in the mess and misery of sin. In His endless mercy,
God forgives the mistakes and missteps we make in this world. He lights the
darkness. A person just needs to know where to go to find that light. It is to
Jesus.
Friends,
believers, Christians raise the cross of Christ for the world to see.
Be
good, be holy and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. Amen.
Praise
be Jesus Christ, for ever and ever.
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