Before Jesus Changed My Life

Growing up I did go to Sunday school, and went to vacation bible school in the summertime, and through God’s Grace, I became saved at Grandview Baptist Church. I remember memorizing the verse John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Even though it is a simple verse, it provided me with a foundation throughout the rest of my life. Jesus Christ died for my sins, and because of his sacrifice, I will live with him and God for the rest of eternity. As I got older, I rarely went to Church, and I seldom read my bible. I did many things I shouldn't have during my wild teenage years. Although I would still pray at night for God’s blessings. I seldom spoke to my close friends about Jesus or God. We were just living for the moment. Thankfully, God was watching over us the whole time, providing us with his protection. Then, after finishing high school, I joined the Navy, and right as I was about to board the bus to begin my journey, I was handed a small green Bible: New Testament – Psalms – Proverbs, which I still have to this day. It has the date I received it, October 1, 1984, written on the first page, along with my name. That small bible has helped me and guided me through many difficult times in my life. Then, early in my Navy career, I was stationed in Millington, TN, and it was there that I started going back to church again on the base. It made me feel good to listen to God’s Word again and to be with other Christian families. I still remember walking outside of the church, many times looking at the cross on top of the church, praying for God’s blessings for whatever challenge I had coming up that day. I could feel the power of the cross radiate through me. It was an amazing feeling. Soon after, I was stationed in Coronado, CA, where I finished up my short career in the Navy. I had a great time while I was there and went on to see and experience many other cultures and countries. But during the rest of my time in the Navy, I grew farther apart from God. I was still living for myself, not living for God, and I was still wanting to control my life. I was not willing to give it to God, or give God his Glory for my life. On my 24th birthday, I met an angel who would become my wife. She was a very strong Christian who would do anything for anyone. We raised three incredible kids, but we did not take them to church regularly. Because of activities, mainly sporting events, a lot of our Sundays were spent away from home and not at church. This became normal for our family. We went to church when it was convenient, or it fit our schedule.

How Jesus Changed My Life

Over the last two to three years, I have started reading my Bible, typically every night. I started allowing myself to read just one chapter so I could try to understand it without becoming overwhelmed. We started going to church regularly at Veritas, and through reading God’s Word and listening to the sermons, it began to change my heart and attitude about how I should live my life for God and be a better husband, father, son, brother, and Christian. I realized I should have provided a better example of being a Christian loving father. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” I should have made it a priority for our family to get to Church on Sunday, regardless of what else was going on in our lives with our kids' activities. I knew I should start living my life for Jesus and God, not for myself. By trusting in God, I will give my worries, concerns, and fears to God, knowing God will give me peace in my life. Knowing that I am not in control, God has been in control the whole time, looking out over my family and me. Philippians 4: 6-7 says, “ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” During our time attending Veritas over the years, I have witnessed many Christians proclaim their faith in Jesus through baptism, letting the whole world know they are Christians and are followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! I have always thought that we were amazing, and I questioned if my faith was strong enough to let everyone see that I was a follower of Jesus Christ. Even though I was baptized as a baby, I thought someday I would be baptized as an adult to show my faith in Jesus Christ, my Savior, to the world. I never knew when that day would come, but recently, through personal events in my life, God broke my pride and made me realize my life was not mine to control, I should be living my life for God. And start living my life as a Christian, for God’s Glory. That led me to ask my wife if she ever considered being baptized, and she said that she had thought about it before, but she just didn’t know when. With her seeing how I had been changed, and knowing I was considering baptism, she became excited about the idea of being baptized.

My Life After Jesus Saved Me

I started to change in ways I never thought possible. I became kinder and more understanding toward my wife and began praying heartfelt prayers, showing my love for Christ. I realize I should be living my life for God, not for myself. I know I’m a sinner, and I will always come up short of pleasing God, but through God’s grace, I am saved through the Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I want the world to know I am a Christian by my actions and how I treat people. It makes me want to study the Bible more and become a stronger Christian. I want to show my love for others as God loves us. God loves us so much that he gave up his only Son to die on the Cross for our sins. Because of God’s grace, we will spend eternity in Heaven!