Welcome

“God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth, which is, There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us.” 1 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭‬‬

God wants everyone to know him. However, he won’t force himself on any of us. He wants each of us to come to the realization of our deep-seated need for him on our own terms in our own time. For some of us it’s later rather than sooner and that’s okay. Even though I was forty-something when I gave my life to Christ, I have come to realize I wasn’t late. I was right on time. 

It really doesn’t matter what age you are when you give your life to Christ as long as you give it to Him. He is always patiently waiting for you, happy to scoop you up into His loving arms, at any age or any stage of life. He truly wants you to come as you are, rich or poor, young or old, man or woman, humble or prideful, He doesn’t care about your nationality, your religious beliefs or the colour of your skin everyone is welcome. He looks past all our imperfections, difference and the things we use to disqualify ourselves to warmly welcome us.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

What does it mean to ‘give your life to Christ?’ 

It’s a matter of surrender. Surrendering your wants, your needs, your desires to line up with his love, mercy and grace, to follow His path, purpose and plans for you. Living fully surrendered to Jesus will involve risk, change and challenges for sure but, and this is a BIG but, living fully for Christ also includes broken chains, fullness of life, excitement, healing and miracles, freedom and fun! Yes, it’s true, being a Christian is never boring!

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

It’s no longer living for yourself, your ways, your wants, your selfish desires. It’s realizing life isn’t only about you. It’s about your unsaved family members, friends, coworkers and the rest of God’s children. It’s about becoming a disciple of Christ Jesus and helping others do the same.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35

God didn’t force me to become a Christian. He is always the perfect gentleman about this. So, if God didn’t force me to become a Christian, why would I force anyone else? Instead, I will be as kind as I can be, as compassionate and loving as possible, living my life in a way that reflects who Jesus is. I continue preparing myself to answer any question my unsaved family and friends have. Ready to defend my faith as well as my God with kindness, grace and compassion. I will encourage them and love them, allowing them the same freedom to choose I had. I won’t argue or fight with anyone, but I will gladly share my reasons for giving my life to Jesus. 

Because I love them. I don’t want them to go anywhere but Heaven when they die. Brow beating them into submission won’t stick, when has anything ever stuck that you felt forced to believe? I’m gonna say never. Trying to force people to believe anything, including the truth about Jesus, can cause arguments, tension, contention, denial, anger and resentment. Trying to force Jesus on anyone would have the opposite outcome to the desired one. And it doesn’t reflect who Jesus is at all. It’s better to share how He has changed my life and allow people to ask me about my beliefs rather than trying to convince them my choices should be their choices.

The power of surrendering to God and putting my hope in Him has been the most transformative process of my life. It has freed me to be who He created me to be. Freed me to be bold enough to step out of the old and into the new. Freed me from fear, condemnation and sin. Freed me to leave behind the old me and embrace the new. It hasn’t been an easy, quick or a smooth process. But it has been worth every moment because I am a nicer, kinder, more tolerant version of my former self and getting better each and every day I spend time with Jesus. He has changed me, and that change is what I hope people see when they hang out with me. My prayer is for my changes to shine through and for people to want what I have, more of Jesus.

Jesus thank you for revealing yourself to me, for changing and transforming my life. Open my heart and eyes to those around me looking for the same transformation. Give me the opportunity to share who you are and how you changed my life with them. I fully surrender myself to you and your will for my life. I am blessed to be called Your child. Lord, I want to be changed into the person that You want me to be, and to leave behind the things of the flesh, to walk in newness of life. Jesus, all my spaces are yours to fill. Amen.

If you’re not sure about giving your life to Jesus, pray this simple prayer: Jesus, if you’re real, reveal yourself to me. Amen. 

***Keep your eyes and heart open for when He does reveal himself. And would you let me know too! Praying for you to know and love HIM in ways you never thought possible. Amen.