Before Jesus Changed My Life
I grew up in a family of believers and was raised as a Christian, but as pastor Jake would say, I was more of a lukewarm Christian. I always felt that because I believed in Jesus, I was saved and I didn't need to change my ways. I struggled with addiction, anxiety, and depression for many years. My way of dealing with those issues was to use substances and cover up those feelings, which created a cycle of sinning. I always felt like I didn't fit in at church and judged other people my age for being "church kids", as I liked to call them then. I wanted to be cool and part of the popular group at school, so I would participate in things I didn't necessarily want to do just to feel like I was part of it. I stopped going to church when I was 18 because, in my mind, I thought I knew all I needed to know, and there was no point in attending. God was never part of my daily life, and I felt I only prayed when I needed something. I treated God like a tool to use when needed, and a safety net that I could use to continue sinning.
How Jesus Changed My Life
My Grandpa, Richard, who is a devoted member of the church, unfortunately was diagnosed with cancer over a year ago. He would always tell me he would like to see me at church, and my response was always, "Yeah, I should go.", but I never would. Once I heard of his diagnosis, I felt the need to make it to church. That is the one place I knew for sure I would see him every week. I started going as a way to make my Grandpa happy, and as a way to see him, not knowing how serious the cancer was or how much more time we had with him. There was one specific thing pastor Jake said a couple of months into going to church that really stuck with me. In short, he said, "Bow before you will be made to bow". It really resonated with me that I had been living in sin and needed to change the way I live to serve Jesus. After a few months of going to church, I started to feel a change in the way I lived and thought. Not only did I feel a change in myself, but I witnessed changes in my wife, Aleena, who would attend church with me every Sunday. Seeing her faith grow was inspiring, and it helped grow my faith as well. I wanted to be like her, and the people I saw in church, and feel the love many there felt. Church was no longer something I felt I had to go to, but rather a people I belonged with. I no longer felt like I needed to fit in with any crowd other than followers of Jesus, and sin was not appealing to me. As my faith grew, so did my understanding of the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins. Jesus took the punishment we deserve and by this our sins are forgiven. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ and follow him, we are given a new heart and everlasting life with him. We can not be saved by doing enough "good things", but by faith alone and the grace of God. Our fruits are proof that God has changed our hearts. 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." Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."
My Life After Jesus Saved Me
I am not perfect, nor will I ever be, but the way I live my life is night and day different than how I did before Jesus saved me. Sin used to be a part of my everyday life, but now I feel uncomfortable around it. I have changed the music I listen to, the videos I watch, and the language I use. Every day I pray that God brings me closer to him and helps me make decisions that glorify and serve him. Jesus, who was once someone I hardly thought about, is now on my mind constantly throughout the day. Jesus is my new purpose in life, and I now want to be the "church kid" that I used to judge growing up, and my wife and I are raising our kids to be followers of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”