“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Cor. 9:15

 This is the time of year when we hear a lot about valentines, gifts, chocolates, flowers and sometimes even diamonds! We send valentines to loved ones to tell them how much they mean to us and how special they are. God has a wonderful love letter He sent to us……it’s His word, the Bible. It tells us of God’s plan for the ages and what He had in mind before the creation of the world. The center of the Bible focuses on Jesus Christ and His plan for salvation. It is a gift beyond price, we can’t buy it, it’s more valuable than money. The gift of salvation is God’s work and it amazes me how different our salvation stories can be. God draws us to Himself in special ways only He can do. Each person has a testimony only they can tell.

I was raised in a Christian home and never remember a time when I didn’t have a love for Jesus. My mother taught me all the stories of the Bible before I was 5 years old and I could memorize verses and passages of scripture like Psalm 23. I could even repeat difficult names like Nebuchadnezzar, Methuselah and Jehoshaphat, but none of those things made me a Christian. The faith of my parents couldn’t save me from my sins.

One evening I went to a children’s meeting at our church. The speaker was a tall man with very long fingers. He spoke right from God’s Word and told us that, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23. That means that God is holy and can’t have sin in his presence. He waged his long finger at us children and said, “Boys and girls, just one sin can keep you out of heaven!” That made me very uncomfortable! I was only 6 years old, but I knew I was a sinner. I had two older sisters and sometimes I would exaggerate the truth and tell lies to make myself look good. In fact, I liked to get them in trouble! So that night, I knew I was a sinner! God touched my heart in a way a 6 year old would understand and drew me to Himself. After the service, I went home and knelt by my bed and asked Jesus to come into my life and take away all those nasty thoughts and actions I was in the habit of doing. I wanted Him to take over and help me live for Him. I know He saved me that night! Jesus never turns anyone away even a young child, no person is too bad for Him. “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” John 6:37.

That night began a long journey with my Gift from God! I had my times of trouble and difficulties that are typical to life on earth, but I found that through it all, Jesus never leaves or forsakes us. He is always near and can be relied on to help us through any trials we go through. He never gives us more than we can bear. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15.

 Your friend, Jean