Philippians 2: 9-11 says this: “Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of the things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
I have read this verse many times. At a younger age however, I never quite took it to heart. I always knew that God was the only God, and that he was to be respected, and that he would one day come back to earth. Growing up I had all the head knowledge of God, but lacked GREATLY in heart knowledge. I never knew that having a personal relationship with him was required in order to be with God eternally.
“Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father; but by me.”
I thought going to church, reading the bible when I could, and praying in the evenings and at meal times was good enough. It didn’t help much that My parents went to a German speaking church. I could understand German, but not the dialect of German that was used for the singing and the sermon.
I remember in the fifth grade, when we were given tiny red testaments, I was thrilled. I signed my name at the back, just like the rest of my class, and read it with joy. That joy however, did not last long. As my life started to return back to normal, I also returned back to my sin. I had an anger problem. It only took tiny pieces of wood to ignite a huge fire. If I didn’t get to go to a friend’s house in exactly the timing that suited me best, or any other thing that I demanded, I was like a hot balloon ready to burst. This problem was not something that I enjoyed having. I knew that it was a sin, and that something needed to be done about it, but when I tried to fix the anger by trying to control myself, Satan usually got me again. As sorry as I was, and as many times as I prayed for forgiveness, I continued in this sin. It seemed i just couldn’t stop.
One day, when I was in seventh grade and on my way home from school, I was sitting on the bus with another girl, when she asked me an unusual question. “Are you a Christian?” I answered without even thinking; I told her that I was. If the truth be told, I didn’t even know what being a Christian meant. I thought that anyone who tried their best, and did nice things was a Christian. Being taught that you can’t know if you will get to heaven, also played a part.
I eventually forgot about that question, and life went on. Lena Krahn (good friend) was a Christian, and even though she knew that i wasn’t, she continued to hang out with me. I can now see that God chose to use her, so that i could experience his love, mercy and peace. I loved to be around her; she was so much like me. We enjoyed singing, talking and baby sitting. I would often join her when she was at one of her sisters. I joined her one time, and thought nothing of it. After we had put the children to bed, we got a chance to talk. It was then that Lena told me HER version of salvation.
Romans 10:9-10 says: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
For as long as I live, I will never forget what happened that night. I repented of my sin as I walked home. The black night had often scared me( Satan has always tried to scare me with darkness.At times I still get thoughts into my head that hes going to grab me from around a corner at night, or his face will apear in a mirror.) but not this night. I was in communion with God, and I had peace for the first time. I accepted Jesus into my heart that night, which was the fall of 2004.
My life changed only slightly though. I now had a desire to go to church to grow. As time passed, my spiritual growth stayed the same, that is until the summer of 2005, when my parents decided one Sunday morning that they were going to the Bergthaler church (an English speaking church), and all of my family was going. I remember how hard my heart was all the way there. The sermon changed that though. I loved it! When I realized that I could grow closer to Jesus Christ, I enjoyed the change my life had taken. Since then, I started to go to youth group, to bible studies, and to Sunday school. God also Blessed me with a new group of friends who enouraged me, uplifted me, and helped me to keep my eyes on JESUS!
Christmas With Friends
Christmas Eve With My Family (Jordan’s missing)
Deuteronomy 31:8.
“And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
Jordan
Jesus has lead me through many mountains and valley’s since then. I’m learning more about Gods character every day, and also growing daily!
My Sister Valerie
Me and Melody
Emily, Marissa, and Me!
