Thirty five years ago today I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I always celebrate this day like it was my birthday because it was the day that changed my life forever.
I am very lucky in a sense as I know the day and time I came to faith in Jesus. I know because I read a tract called, “A journey in to life” and I wrote the date and time on it.
I would love to say that I still had it, but being evangelistically inclined I gave it to someone who I was sharing my faith with. I said this pamphlet changed my life, I hope it will change yours too.
Usually on this day I look back and remember what my life was like before Jesus and how it has changed for the better. I reflect on how I felt before I prayed the prayer above and how I felt afterwards.
It is my hope and prayer that as you read this post that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If not I would encourage you to visit my finding salvation page here.
Galatians 1:10 TPT – I’m obviously not trying to flatter you or water down my message to be popular with men, but my supreme passion is to please God. For if all I attempt to do is please people, I would not be the true servant of the Messiah.
In today’s world we can be tempted to water down the Gospel to make it palatable to more people. But the truth of the Gospel is Jesus came to earth to save sinners. He came to die on the cross for our sin. This opened the way back to the Father in heaven from whom we were separated. He took our punishment, so we could find peace with God.
If our Gospel message does not talk about sin and the need to find peace with God, is it really the Gospel of the Bible?
Reflection passage – Romans 5:8-11 NLT
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. [9] And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. [10] For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. [11] So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
This is an easy one to answer. The things I am passionate about are always not far from the surface and easy to see. I have many passions, but one stands above it all.
My faith in Jesus is my number one passion. Since I came to Jesus in July of 1989, my life has never been the same. He changed everything for the better. My heart is to walk with Him all the days of my life.
Walking closely with the Lord drives everything else I do in my life. He is the reason I get up early to pray and read my Bible. He is why I want to be the best husband and father I can be. He is why I am a Chaplain. He is why I have my PASSION websites to reach out with His love.
If it was not for Jesus I do not know where I would be. Jesus has given my life meaning, purpose, strength, hope and a future. He loved me and died on the cross for me. My response is to give my life back to Him each day and to take up my cross as it says in Matthew 16:24.
In Acts 2:1-13 we see a description of when the Holy Spirit came on the believers. It says…
[1] On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. [2] Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. [3] Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. [4] And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
It goes on to say that the people came running at the sound of a mighty wind. They wanted to know what was happening.
When they arrived they heard people speaking in various tongues as the Holy Spirit allowed them to do. The people from all nations heard the message in their own language.
The text tells us that some said they were drunk, but it also tells us that many were amazed, perplexed and bewildered. They had never seen or heard anything like it.
The part that jumped out at me was the two questions they asked. In verse 7 they exclaimed, “How can this be?” And in verse 9 they ask each other, “What does this mean?”
I think these are two crucial questions to ask when God does something new or different to what we have seen before. Rather than trying to explain things away, the questions show they we are open to learn more about God.
Being open to God and how He wants to do things is an important part of growing in our faith. The moment we shut things down and explain them away, is when we close ourselves down to growth and put God in a box.
In the section after this passage we see that Peter stands up and explains what is happening. He says they are not drunk and this is part of what was prophesied in Joel 2:28-29. He explained this is part of God’s plan of pouring the Holy Spirit on believers.
As history tells us 3000 people were added to the church that day. They were open to God, they asked the right questions and they were saved. They heard what Peter said and responded in the way God wanted.
I have learned that when God does something new or different to what I have previously seen, to ask the right questions…How can this be? And what does this mean? Then I am open to God and I do not miss out on what God is doing in the world around me.
As I was doing my morning devotions today I was thinking about the phrase “Inviting Jesus in”. As I dwelt on this I realised how important it is to invite Jesus in to the various areas of our lives.
1. Our life – this is the first and most important area. We need to invite Jesus in to our lives. He needs to be let in as our Lord and Saviour. This is when true life happens and He lives with us.
2. Our relationships – relationships can be hard at times with all the stresses of life. We need to invite Jesus in to them all. Our marriage, with our children, our friends, our workmates – He needs to be in them all.
3. Our work – inviting Jesus into our workplace to help us do well and serve Him. Whatever job role we have we ultimately do it for the Lord. Colossians 3:23 tells us who we really serve as we work. We are all gifted by God and we need His help to serve.
4. Our finances – many of us struggle with our finances. Inviting Jesus in to this area helps us to understand that He loves and cares for us and He is our provider. One of the names God is known by is Jehovah-Jireh which means “The Lord will provide”.
5. Our health – a lot of people I talk to have health issues that they battle with, myself included. Our battles can be very debilitating. Inviting Jesus into our health issues allows Him to provide comfort, strength and healing. Another name God is known as is Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord who heals.
6. Our future – there are times in our lives where we can really worry about the future and what will happen to our families or ourselves. One thing God has been reminding me of lately is He holds our future. We may not know the future, but we can be confident God holds our future. Each of us are in the palm of His mighty hands.
Today I would encourage you to invite Jesus in to the different areas of your life. If you have never done this before, you can prayer this prayer below.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I invite you to come into my life. I want You to be my Lord and Saviour. Please come in and cleanse me from my sin. Help me to follow You with all of my heart. Lord, I also invite you into all of my relationships, my work, my finances and my health. Come in and help me in all these areas. Bring healing, provision and peace to them all. I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen
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