MY TESTIMONY

~MY LOVE STORY WITH JESUS~

 

My Love story with Jesus began before I was even born. Long ago my precious Jesus came to earth as a man---He was fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life and fulfilled the law on my behalf; He died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin; He was buried; and on the third day He rose from the grave. My penalty was paid in full, the Father's wrath was satisfied, and my redemption was sure! 

In God's Word it says: "God showed how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love---not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins (1 John 4:9-10NLT)."

At the cross Jesus not only paid for my sin penalty, but He also paid the sin penlty for all who believe and will believe in Him and trust in Him alone to save them from the punishment for their sin. God offers sinners an amazing gift: all of Christ's righteousness in exchange for all of their sin!!!! It is by grace that we are saved and reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus His Son. Now we can have peace with God.

The Lord blessed me abundantly by giving me two parents who loved Him and raised me to love Him too. They did not have an easy job teaching me to follow hard after Jesus. I was a very stubborn child and I did not like to obey. I liked doing things my own way, but my dad and mom never gave up or became weary in correcting and discipling me as they also looked at these moments as opportunities to tell me about Jesus Christ and His amazing sacfrice at the cross.

I made a profession of faith when I was four years old, but not until five years later when I was nine did I truly surrender my life to Jesus Christ. That year when I was nine, my older brother starting reading his Bible; and being the competitive little sister that I am, I also started reading my Bible. God's Word completely transformed my life. Instead of just trying to get away with sin without getting in trouble, my heart became burdened by my sin and I began hating it. The Lord was softening my heart and giving me a deep desire to obey Him and live my life for is glory and not my own.  So when I was ten years old, I obeyed the Lord and was baptized. I continued to read my Bible, and the Holy Spirit continued to transform my heart to be more and more like Jesus.

When I was thirteen, I truly went through a lonely season of my life. I had no friends and all the girls at church only seemed to want to talk about boys, makeup and clothes. I would go to youthgroup and feel left out because I did not fit in with everybody else. However God used those moments of loneliness to teach me a very important lesson....Jesus is my best friend!!! He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 17:17).

One thing that I loved doing growing up was reading.  I would read all the books I could, and I espcially loved reading books about missionaries like Hudsn Taylor, Amy Carmichael, Adoniram Judson, Jim Elliot, and Mary Slessor. I would dream about being a missionary someday like these men and women who poured out their lives for Jesus. I wanted to spend my life sharing the Gospel with people who had never heard about Jesus before.

Well, I did not stay little forever...soon I was in highschool, going off to college for a year, and then joining the Coast Guard when I was nineteen. God taught me countless lessons along the way. Lessons like trusting Him when I cannot see which way to go, surrendering to His plan when it hurts, rejoicing in Him whether the sun is shining or the rain is pouring down, and being ready to follow Him wherever He leads me and do whatever He calls me to do.

I love Jesus!!!! Because He first loved me!!!! Now my soul errupts with joy because I serve the one, true God who made heaven and earth. I am here on this earth to shine His glory and point to Him. I do not belong to myself...I am the SLAVE of Christ for God has taken me captive, and I am so happy He has! His love is truly better than life!!

So now as I wait for God to lead me forth into His will, I rejoice that He holds me in His hands. I am still in the Coast Guard for two more years, living as Christ's ambassador in Eastport, Maine. Sometimes it is difficult and lonely here, but Jesus is my constant friend; and though I am alone, I am never truly alone. Every bend in the road of faith that God brings in my life, teaches me to trust Him deeper. I know it is not easy to follow Christ, nor will my life be easy as I continue to follow Him; but nothing in all this world compares to the beauty of knowing Jesus. I know my life will not seem hard or difficult when I compare it to all I gain in Christ! I can make no sacrifice that shall out shine His love and grace. His plans are truly beautiful and surprsing. They are better and greater than  my wildest imagination! So I follow on hard after the Lover f my soul.

 I have many dreams about the future. And even now as I see God's story unfolding for me, I am so happy and excited. He will definitely have to sustain me by His grace, but what adventures He has instore...and I want to take them!! Soon when my time comes to a close here in the Coast Guard, by God's grace I will be buying an airplane ticket to Cameroon, Africa where I will continue to serve Jesus and proclaim His GOOD NEWS...............

BUT THIS TIME I WILL NOT BE ALONE.

~To Be Continued~