Before Jesus Changed My Life
Before I met Jesus, I was empty. I didn’t have a cause to live and filled it with worldly things. I wanted to do what everyone else was doing and fit in. I was younger then, so I went to church with my parents because I “had to” and I should try to get something out of it. I didn’t see the point of it because my parents didn’t set an example for how to live a Christ-centered life. So I tried to get out of going to church all the time because I didn’t see any point. I didn’t even know that you could have a relationship with the Lord and that He truly knows me.
How Jesus Changed My Life
I decided to transfer schools and went to a Christian school because I had a friend who went there and loved it. It was there when I saw God working in people’s lives. I learned about God, the Bible, His great love for us, and His ultimate sacrifice for us, but it seemed like it could be for everyone else except me. I felt so far behind all of my classmates that I thought I had to get better before I could come to Jesus, that I just had to get rid of this sin, and then I could come to Him. Every week we would have a Bible verse to memorize, and everyone else would grab their Bible and start memorizing it, and they would tell me how they read their Bible every night. And I would have to look it up on my phone because I had never owned a Bible. This made me want one badly, because I wanted to actually know God’s Word, learn it, and take it seriously. This was one of the most significant steps of Jesus changing my life. I spent two years at that school, and I saw that Jesus really did want to have a relationship with me, loved me, and that I will never earn God’s love and forgiveness, but I have it no matter how big my sins are because of His grace and mercy. I picked all this up from school, my friend, and her family. God used her family to bring me to Jesus, showed me how to live a Christ-centered life, made me feel like a part of their family, and made my relationship with God feel more special. I now believe that the Gospel is Jesus showing us His love for us and how we as Christians can walk with Him. It’s recognizing we can’t live this life by ourselves and that without God, we can do nothing. I recognize that my sins kept me separated from Him, yet in repenting of sin, I now pick up my cross to follow Him, because I have deceided to live for Christ; nothing in this world is worth hanging on to. (Mark 8:34). When they took me to Veritas for the first time, I knew that this was where Jesus was calling me to be and that a big step in my walk with God was starting. A few verses that stuck with me during this time were 2 Timothy 4:17, “But the Lord stood by my side and gave me strength.” And Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” These felt significant to me because they reminded me that God is by my side and is not going to leave me.
My Life After Jesus Saved Me
Now that I have found Jesus, I turn to Him all the time instead of the world. I know that the world is never going to satisfy me, but only keep me separated from the Lord (1 John 2:15-17). I trust God’s plan for me and know He loves me. Now that Jesus has called me by name and I know I belong to Him, I am talking to Him throughout my day and not just praying to ask for things but praising Him, thanking Him, and making sure I tell Him about my life like I would my friends because that’s the most important relationship I will ever have. I spend time in His Word every day because I feel closer to Him and spiritually fed. I prioritize coming to church. I give all my anxiety to Him because I know He is in control. I am a better person now and I am starting to help others find Jesus because my friend and her family gave me the best gift ever by bringing me to Jesus and inviting me to church. Psalm 73:23-26 says, “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” This has been a Bible verse I keep going back to. I know I have eternal life in Jesus because he came to save me, and in His sacrifice is the love he has for me.