On December 13, 1979, I held up this cruddy thing I had made of my life and gave my life to Jesus. The Bible declares that we are spiritually dead without God and that in order to have assurance of forgiveness we need to be born again. (Ephesians 2:1, John 3:3) Even though it has been almost 30 years since this change in my life, I find that there is something still very mysterious about a person giving their life to Jesus. Subjectively, I know that I am a changed person. Objectively, I know that people throughout the past two millennium--like me--have realized peace with God through a relationship with Jesus.
Although I am changed, I realize that in the early days following that December day, I was a very judgmental, and difficult person to live with. I tended to shove my way of thinking down people's throat. I was a pain in the neck!
Through the years, God's love has changed me, day after day after day. I realize that I cannot bully people into believing in Jesus. I was a sinner before I came to Jesus, and I am a sinner today. What has changed is that, each day on this journey, I am conscious of my need for God to change me. I am stubborn, proud, argumentative, defiant, rebellious-- and yet, Jesus is repairing my life. He is picking up the pieces. He patient beyond all measure with me.
God's "advertising" that he loves this world is not to be found in people like me. If one were to look at me, they would find a person who fails often. No, God's advertising of his love, is found in the person of Jesus dying on a cross and absorbing the punishment that we deserve. His advertising of love is found in a tomb that is empty from which Jesus came back to life to show the world that as he conquered death and that we too may have life beyond this life.
Jesus said "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
Freak, yes. But a freak who feels like he has come back from the dead.
