I was born and raised in Shreveport, La. primarily in the 70’s. My father was a carpenter, as were my 2 uncles, grandfather, and 2 great uncles. My mother pretty much stayed at home until my last couple of years of high school when she started driving a school bus. I was the first of three children and we attended church as a family once on Wednesday, and twice on Sunday.
As I grew up I was taught biblical principles. Obey and honor your parents, be kind to others, Jesus is God’s son, He was born of a virgin, and He died on a cross for my sins. I recall when I was around five to six years old, that I wanted to be baptized and that I equated this act with being saved. So, I was baptized; submerged in a small pool of water in the church by the pastor, and I went about growing up as any other church going boy might. I explored, played sports, and was fairly obedient, though somewhat mischievous.
In high school, I experimented with some things typical of rebellious teens. I justified my actions, in my mind, with “I’m saved! I asked Jesus to be my savior, I was even baptized. Anything I do will be forgiven”. By the time I was in college, my experimenting had turned into a party lifestyle. Although, I enjoyed the party, the lifestyle was fraught with futility.
I typically had no time for bible study, especially an organized one with lots of people. I did however, accept an invitation to go to a house where a College and Career group would have just that, a bible study. That night the subject of the speaker’s lesson came from the Old Testament book of Malachi. In the first chapter of this book and the sixth verse, God speaks to His people and says, “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence?” I realized that night, that I, like all people, had broken God’s laws and the penalty for this disobedience had to be enforced. Jesus never broke any of God’s law, and yet, He willfully paid the penalty for anyone who would turn from their own way and follow Him, believing that Jesus died to satisfy the dept owed for sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The last word of the verse I just quoted is what hung me up. I wanted Jesus to be my savior, but part of His character is that He is Lord. To have Him as savior, He must be your Lord as well.
The freedom His lordship brings is amazing. My life changed that night. Who am I that the God of the universe would want to know me in a personal way, and have me know Him. But truly that is exactly what God does want. And Jesus is the only way to God the Father.
