My Golden Spiritual Birthday

I don't normally try to toot my own horn, especially for a birthday. But today is special, not because I have done anything special, but because the Lord has. It has been 25 years ago today that the Lord saved me. A whole quarter of a century!

It was a stormy, Thursday night on August 25, 1983 and I had brought my dad to see my Pastor, Clayton Doss. I knew some of what the Bible said about being born again, enough to explain to my dad it was what he needed. But, it was me the Lord was working on that night. The more I sat and waited for my dad to finish talking with Pastor, the more despair I felt for my own soul. How could I know for sure? How could anyone know for certain they were going to heaven? Wasn't that presumptuous?

Ah...but the story goes back further than that, back to college days when a friend of mine asked me a very abrupt question, "Where would you go if you were to die tonight?" "Errr....heaven," I said, but my heart had no peace about that answer. In fact, that answer haunted me as I tried to justify my reasons for it. Well, that was the beginning of my journey to Bible salvation.

The next several months were a time of rededicating my life to religion. I faithfully went to church every morning, joined a Bible study and faith enrichment class and tried to read my Bible. Frustration soon set in as my religious busyness still did not alleviate my fear concerning my eternal destiny. Questions were not being answered satisfactorily even though I was seeking desperately for them.

An old friend invited me to attend church - a Bible believing Baptist church in Crookston, MN. Much to my shame now, I stared out the window for most of the service and tried hard not to listen. The preacher preached on sin - my sin and how if you weren't right with God, you were condemned to eternity in hell. Not something I wanted to hear! I even made a vow not to come back!

Several more months passed, the things I had heard at that church began to sink in, especially as I attended my own church and saw contradictions to the Bible. I began searching for answers again, this time from the Bible. Soon I found myself back at that Bible church again...somewhat enjoying it - my questions were being answered. Months passed, I quit college, met new friends, and even mustered up a viable salvation testimony and was baptized. I was soon discovering, though, just because you believe in Bible things, go to church, get baptized and join the church doesn't mean you are a Christian. It's not something you 'grow into'. I still had no peace and the fear of not making it to heaven was something that consumed my thoughts. On the outside I was a Christian, I conformed to what I thought Christians should be like and I did a good job at it. No one suspected I wasn't a true Christian. On the inside, I was miserable. No peace, lots of fear, and still chained to sin, I would sit through sermon after sermon, under a load of guilt that only pride could dismiss.

Finally, that stormy Thursday night in August, I admitted to God I was lost and needed Him. I couldn't wish myself into heaven, I couldn't work myself into heaven...there was nothing I could do. It was time to leave self and put Christ on the throne of my life. That night in tears and shame, I humbly turned from my sin, my self, my ways and my effort to the Saviour and He gloriously saved me!

Yes, this is a wonderful day to me, not because of my doing, but because He did it all! Those last words Jesus spoke when He died for my sins, "It is finished", say done! No more working, wishing, trying...to get to heaven. He has furnished the way. Simple faith and repentance (turning from sin to the Saviour) does what none of us can. It gives us a home in heaven. Thank you Lord!

Have a blessed day,

Lori

My Favorite Salvation Verse: Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast."