Before I get into talking about how I am improving my relationship with Christ, I would like to explain what it means to me to have a relationship with Christ. I know that I have at least a few family members and friends who do not know Christ but are still choosing to read this blog to support me and my venture. For them, I want to explain what it means to be a Christian and why I have chosen to follow Christ so passionately. I know that before I became a Christian I used to think it was ridiculous for anyone to believe in God and Jesus and I know I’m not the only one who has ever had ill informed thoughts about Christianity.
It started for me like most christian testimonies start. My life felt empty and I was searching for what the purpose of life was. I had just graduated high school and was about to go off on my own. Growing up, my parents and grandparents would encourage me to go to church and read the Bible, but I was stubborn and none of it made sense to my childhood mind. I had too many questions and not enough answers and was resistant to listen to anything my parents tried to tell me. I went through a phase where I tried on my own to read the Bible and just got lost and even more confused. Then I went through a phase where I completely rejected it and was looking to other religions and ways of living for my answers.
Still, nothing felt right and I was afraid to start my adult life without a sense of purpose. Again I tried turning to the Bible for my answers because that was all I really knew to look to even though I still didn’t understand. I decided to pray even though it seemed like none of my prayers were ever answered. This time though I didn’t ask for material things or things to go my way. I asked for understanding. I came to God saying if this really is the answer to my questions and why I feel so empty, help me to understand and grow so that I can stop looking for answers. And wouldn’t you know it, that week I met a pastors son through work. At the time, he wasn’t even close to the kind of person you would think would help me come to Christ but as time went on, we got closer and started dating. I started to ask him about church and God and though he was at a point in his life where he was not too sure about the whole idea of church, he patiently and thoughtfully helped me to navigate Gods word. Things started making sense and for the first time, I was getting answers to the questions I had. We started going to church and I started reading more and more and I finally came to the point where I realized that my prayer had been answered and that God was the answer that I was looking for.
Matthew 7:7-8 says 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives , and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Since starting my relationship with Christ my life has changed so much. It's not all happiness and rainbows. Jesus said in Mathew 16 : 24 " Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." When someone accepts Jesus as their truth and savior, they become made new. The world however stays the same. In John 16: 33 Jesus also says "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." This is how I know it is all worth it.
And while I’m not an expert in theology, I do know enough to be convinced without a doubt that the bible is truth and that Jesus is my Lord and Savior.
John 3:16-21
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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
I hope that through reading this, those who don't understand my and so many others belief can start to understand why I am so passionate about God and can have a little context to what I will be talking about in future blog post.
Please leave a comment for me so I can get ideas of what you all would like to read about in future posts. I plan on posting a monthly challenge for those of you interested in growing in faith with me.
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