The faith journey

Dear reader today is the day for a more serious topic. I want to write to you about my faith. You are properly thinking why do I want to write to you about this, well I want to tell you why my faith in Christ my Savior is so special to me. I hope you learn and grow as you read a small snippet of my faith journey.

As a girl I thought I was a Christian, “Yeah I went to church with my parents and believed that there was a God.” As I got to my early teens and life seemed to turn to custard over night the Lord showed me something – that faith that there is a God/believing in him wasn’t enough. Snowing me that I had to believe in what He had done for me. It was during this time that He showed me what faith really is.

Faith is more than believing, it is acting upon what you have faith in. Faith is believing that you are a sinner and doing something about it. “Really the mind goes...You are a good person, you will go to Heaven. “ Ask yourself these questions....Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stole – even a lolly from the jar in the kitchen? Have you ever said Gods name in vain? You are a lying, thief and blasphemer. You have broken three of the Ten Commandments. You are a sinner and so am I dear reader. We all are. I believe I am a sinner, do you?

The first step in faith is believing you are a sinner. Next comes the belief in God’s word that says “Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived...nor shall thieves....inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10”. Dear readers don’t become discouraged, for God brings us good news. He sent His son to die on the cross to pay for all our sins. We can have this way out through faith or believing in the way out – Jesus Christ’s death on the cross. Yes this man, the Son of God died for us – for you and me. Died to forgive us all our sins. The lies, theft, blasphemy ect.

My life was transformed by this truth. Is yours? My faith came alive. My faith became faith. It became more than just knowledge, but a lifestyle. A lifestyle of thanks to God for sending His son to die to save me. But why a lifestyle of thanks you may go? Well think of it this way. If a man ran into your house that was on fire to save you and nearly died while doing so. Would not you do everything in you to thank him? Same with us and Jesus. Jesus was abandoned by God and went into hell before He ascended into Heaven to save us. He saved us from a lifetime in Hell the unquenchable fire. If our faith is true faith we will be thankful.

So why is my faith so special to me? Because of what Christ did for me, dying on the cross. I wasn’t worth it and I can’t pay Him back, but he did it all out of love. Love makes this faith so special. It makes me feel loved and able to show love. If you love someone you have a friendship with them. I have a friendship with Christ. I can talk to Him and He answers me though His word and others. He is always there for me, in good times and bad. My faith means more than just eternal life to me it means a friendship. One in which I gave what he deserves: Thanks, honor and praise, and take from Him: peace, guidance and eternal life.

This year at youth group we have been challenged on what does it mean for us personally to be a Christian and why we are one? But for me there is a step before this question and it’s what does faith mean to me. Without true faith there in no Christianity. So what does faith mean to you? Is it the yeah I have faith that I will be saved or is it a life giving faith that leads to a friendship with Christ and eternal life. If we have the wrong idea of faith, how are we to have the right one of Christianity? If we believe faith is just knowing that we will be saved, end of story. Then the meaning of what Christianity means to us will be empty.

So I encourage you dear reader to think about faith or more specifically what your faith means to you?

Think, ponder and bring it back to God’s word