Some years ago, our family spent a Christmas vacation in Southern California. Being typical tourists, we shook hands with Mickey Mouse, ate oranges and grapefruit that we had personally picked from the trees, and shopped as often as possible. We did some "no thank you, I'm just looking ..." kind of
shopping at boutiques in Palm Springs and Beverly Hills, and found some great bargains at outdoor Swap Meets.
The children made a large paper Christmas tree for our hotel room, and had decorated it with a great variety of stars and stickers, glitter dust, and popcorn garland. Christmas morning was a special pleasure when it was discovered that Santa had actually found us, even when we were so far from home. We eagerly investigated the contents of our stocking, and when I opened the small package in my stocking, I discovered a black velvet box which contained a beautiful dinner ring, and tucked in the corner was an un-set diamond. My "Santa" explained that the jewelry store, where he had purchased the ring, was running a promotion, giving each customer a bonus. Following Christmas, I was to return to the store with the diamond, and have it appraised. One customer would be the happy owner of a genuine 1-carat diamond, and the others would have a cubic zirconium or fake diamond. I was sure that mine was the real diamond because I had compared it with a diamond I knew to be genuine and could see no difference. I had already decided what I would do with it. I certainly didn’t need another ring, and wouldn’t be able to afford a matching diamond for earrings, so I would have it put in a setting I could wear on a chain around my neck.
And after all these years, I still enjoy wearing it.
Why am I telling you this? Because it reminds me of a verse in the Bible that says, “Men judge by outward appearance, and I (God) look at man’s thoughts and intentions.”(I Samuel 16:7 Living Bible)
And now for my personal story...
I was brought up in a wonderful home where Christian principles were taught and our family life was centered on the church and its activities. We attended church services twice every Sunday, and as often as possible, we were at the Wednesday night prayer meetings. I attended Sunday School regularly, and had received numerous awards for "perfect" attendance and memorizing Bible verses. In my teen years, I took part in the Youth activities and attended summer camp. There was a lot of music in our home, and when I was in High School, I started to play the piano or organ for congregational singing. I also sang in the church choir.
I didn’t go to shows, I never learned to dance, and makeup was not allowed. There was no television in our home, and we didn’t play cards. Being an only child, I never wanted to be a disappointment to my parents, but at the same time, I thought they were far too strict with me. I was a rebellious teen, but managed to “play the game” to keep my parents happy, and “look good” in my church.
After receiving my Registered Nursing degree, I packed my belongings and headed to my first job in a small town 19-bed hospital. The staff at the hospital were cordial and helpful to this "city person" and soon I felt at home. My parents approved, because I would be in close proximity to a well known Bible School that would give me the opportunity to meet other people my age who had similar religious convictions. But the school and the people associated with it were quite isolated from the town, either by choice or by circumstance, and I definitely was a "townee". I wasn’t particularly interested in the whole Bible School scene because, now that I was out from under the watchful eyes of my parents, I had a whole lot of “living” to do. Now was my chance to experience many of those things I was never allowed to do at home.
One of the more significant events that happened in town during my first year there was the arrival of the telephone company crew who came to convert the telephones from the central operator system to automatic dialing. A friend of mine introduced me to the crew boss, and we dated occasionally.
One particular evening, while having a coffee at the local Main Street Café, we had one of those “tell me about yourself” conversations. Along with telling him that I was born and raised in Alberta, my first year of school was in a one-room schoolhouse, that I couldn’t think of a flavor or ice cream I didn’t like, and that I didn’t have any brothers or sisters, I told him that I came raised in a Christian home. The moment I mentioned it, I thought ...“That was silly – he won’t know what I’m talking about. He wouldn’t recognize a Christian person if he came face to face with one.” But he looked me straight in the eye and said, “So, why aren’t you a Christian?” “I AM”, I answered defensively.He paused for a moment; then, with a grin on his face, said that we obviously had a different understanding of what it means to be an authentic Christian. He told me that when he was in his teens, his mother had asked Jesus to come into her life. He saw a genuine joy and peace about her, despite the difficult life circumstances she had.
Since coming to work in Alberta, his mother had faithfully written a letter to him every week, telling him of the happenings around home, and closing with her “little sermon-ette”. Sometimes it was a Bible verse or a written prayer, and other times she would be very direct, saying, “Son, you need to make Jesus #1 in your life.” He didn’t have time for any of that religious stuff so would skip over those parts, but he was glad he hadn’t thrown the letters away because he wasn’t getting them any more. His mother had been killed in a traffic accident.
That conversation caused me to do a lot of thinking. I thought I was fooling everybody, but if I couldn’t fool this man who didn’t even claim to be a Christian, how did I think I was pulling it off with my parents and those in my church? More importantly, what did God, the Great Examiner of my soul, think of me when He knew all about who I really was? Deep down, I knew I was a fake – as much of a fake as the diamond that hangs around my neck. It was time for me to seriously investigate the claims of Jesus Christ.
I bought a modern translation of the Bible and began to carefully read through it. I read that “.... there is none righteous, no not one ... for all have sinned and come short of God’s glorious ideal, ... and the wages of sin is death. ” (Romans 6:23; Romans 3:23 Living Bible) The word “ALL” meant me too.
What was sin? A verse I found says that “...knowing what is right to do and not doing it ... that is sin.” (jAMES 4:17 Living Bible) In other words, sin is an indifference to God.
Then I found the solution. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came to our world to permanently settle the problem of sin. He gave His life on the cross for our sins and then walked out of his grave three days later to prove, without question, that he is God.
“If we confess our sins to him, he can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for He says we have sinned.” (I John 1:9, 10) That’s pretty clear! I am a sinner ... period! But if I will ADMIT to God that I’m a sinner, I can DEPEND on Him to forgive me.
I like the way Dr. Bruce Larson, in his book, entitled “Faith For The Journey”, explains this concept. Quote: “The faith journey begins with a yes-or-no decision because, in the Biblical understanding, faith is a verb, not a noun. Faith is something we do, not something we have. Faith is not saying, “True” to a concept. Jesus simply asks, “Will you follow me?” He doesn’t expect us to understand everything. We can deal with that later. A simple, clear “yes” is all that is required. There are people who have been churchgoers all of their lives but they have never said “YES” to the person of Jesus Christ.” (End of Quote).
The following illustration helped me to understand this concept.
A man went to se his pastor about some problems. In the course of the conversation, the pastor asked, "Are you a Christian?"
"Well," he said, "I sure try to be. I've had some great days and some bad days. I've been very faithful to God at times in my life. Right now, I'm not sure."
The pastor asked, "Are you married?"
"Yes I am," the man replied.
"How can you be sure you're married? Are you a great husband? Are you always there when needed, always generous, kind and loving? Are you always sensitive in your marriage?"
"No, not always."
"Well then, how do you know you're still married?"
"Because I stood up and said before witnesses, "Yes, I take this woman to be my wife."
"You can do that with Jesus, and you can do it right now, if you want," the pastor said. "Faith is a matter of choice. Saying 'yes' to a marriage partner or to God means a lifetime of faithfulness which isn't easy, even though the initial 'yes' is very simple. Through Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, God is saying to us, "I have bet Myself on you, and I'm committed to you. Will you follow Me? Will you say YES? When you do, your journey of faith begins."
It was during my quest for this reality that I received a phone call at the hospital while working the night shift. It was 3:30 in the morning and my friend was calling to tell me he had not been able to sleep. Since our conversation in the Coffee Shop, he kept thinking about his mother’s letters and the things that she had been trying to tell him. He finally got out of bed, found the letters in his trunk, and re-read every one of them. He told me that he could no longer resist the urging in his heart, so got down on his knees beside his bed, accepted God’s forgiveness, and invited Jesus Christ to come into his life. Nothing fancy—no public meeting, no urging from a minister—it was just between him and God. It was so simple!
God says in the Bible that “If we seek (Him) with all of our heart, we will find Him.” (Jeremiah 29:13 Living Bible) He was faithful to His Word and several weeks later, I was finally ready to “level with God” about my past, admit my indifference to Him, and chose to invite Him into my life. When I finally said ‘yes’ to Jesus, I felt that same peace my friend spoke of in his mother. I knew that my sins had been forgiven ... and THAT forgiveness was REAL.This was the beginning of my journey of faith.
The man who helped to turn my focus toward Jesus Christ is still my best friend. Ed and I have been married for over 50 years. We have learned to love and trust our Heavenly Father in many ways and in different situations. We have two wonderful children who have honored us and given us great joy. They are both married and we have welcomed their spouses into our family with open arms. I now experience indescribable delight when one of our grandchildren runs to me and calls me ‘Nana”.
It was very easy to say that I believed every word in the Bible to be true and authentic, when there were few ripples in my life. There is great comfort in reading that “.... Jehovah is kind and merciful ... His compassion is intertwined with everything he does". I can agree that the good things that happen in my life are because of His mercy and compassion. But, I also need to be reminded that when I am going through a “not-so-good time”, the words and promises are exactly the same.
There have been many times of joy, some times of stress, and some very personal tragedies in my life, but circumstances and many friends have crossed my path to remind me that God is always near and that He cares for me. This doesn’t mean that I have been a particularly good learner. It seems that I need to be reminded again and again Who it is that I can always trust.
I continue to learn how to put my trust and faith into action, which is not always easy. But each time I experience His faithfulness, I have been a bit more prepared for the next challenge. Each time it becomes a little easier to say ‘yes’ to Him, the One who knows what is best for me.
I appreciate a comment that our former pastor made when he was presenting his study on the book of Job, and I quote . . . “I may not know what God is doing in my life, but He knows what He is doing in my life.”
My continuing challenge is a verse in the book of Colossians, in the New Testament of the Bible. “Let the peace of heart which comes from Christ be always present in your hearts and lives, for this is your responsibility and privilege as members of His body. And always be thankful." It is telling me that if I am a part of God’s Family, it is my responsibility to let the inner peace that comes from Christ, be part of my life. It is a peace that is a privilege we receive through Jesus Christ. And lastly, we are ALWAYS to be thankful. It doesn’t say to be thankful only when things are going great ... but also when we are experiencing tough times. We don’t have to be thankful for the tough times, but we can be thankful that God is still God, even through the tough times. It is fascinating to watch how God takes over when we allow Him to so.
God isn’t finished with me yet. I don’t know what is in store for me, but I do know whom I can trust. Possessions won’t help, money won’t solve our problems, travel and education are only temporary diversions, relationships won’t take His place—only Jesus!
I don’t know what your circumstances are and what life is dealing out to you, but have you ever investigated the promises of God for yourself, to see if they are real and true? God wants to be eternally related to you. He wants you in His family. God wants to give you a new life that begins here and now and goes on forever. God promises that if you “level with Him” about your past, regardless of what has happened or what you have done, accept His forgiveness, and invite His Son Jesus into your life, He will come into your personality and give you a new and unending life. You can have God’s gift of Eternal Life. All of your sins will be forgiven and wiped out completely, and you will have peace of mind and real freedom from guilt.
This can all be yours, just for the asking! If you don't know how to ask, I invite you to pray this prayer right now...
Dear Lord Jesus,
Right now I choose to go Your way.
Thank you for giving Your life for me.
I accept your forgiveness for my past.
I ask you to come in and take over the controls of my life.
Thank you for your wonderful gift of everlasting life.
From now on, I want to follow You.
Help me to read your Word and pray each day, that I may live to bring honor to you.
Thank You for taking me into Your Family.
I pray this in your Name.
Amen.