He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:11-13 NASB
There was still something missing. I could tell it. I knew that God had made us free even though our freedom did not make Him happy. Without faith in Him it was impossible to please Him, I now had Faith in the Bible, and I knew it was real because it made sense. I now believed that God loved me, even though I was not who He or I wanted me to be. But Paul said we can have all faith so as to move mountains but if we have not love we are as a sounding gong or a clanging symbol. But what did love require of me? In marriage love means commitment. For better or worse, leaving and cleaving, sacrifice. Not allowing oneself to stay offended. Forgiving and receiving forgiveness. Jesus had bought me with a price, but am I willing to give Him what He bought and paid for. Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments. Lord I want to give you my all. I am saying that I am willing to give you my life, and lose it if necessary to gain eternity with you. But I, like Peter have these weaknesses Lord.
When I met Jesus, He said to my inner man. “Jerry you have been trying to do for yourself what only I can do for you”. Lord I want you in control of my life. He had shed His blood cutting the covenant with those who would receive Him. I accepted His sacrifice for my sin. I met Him or He met me, in the living Room of my home while I was alone reading the book, The Cross and The Switchblade, by David Wilkerson.
Christ in me and I in Him. This is the hope of glory.
I am now traveling on another road. It is a narrow road having found Him who is wisdom. This is a very straight road. It is so straight and so narrow that at times you feel as though the world will sweep you off it’s surface as the boulevard traveled by the world sweeps its way back and forth traversing it in opposite directions.
Where the roads cross there are choices that we encounter, often wishing not to be there. God’s call for us is to walk this straight and narrow without detour. Take up your cross. Don’t look back. Follow Me. But on more than one occasion I have called out to the Father to help me find my way back, because along the way as I crossed the wide intersection I somehow lost vision. Where there is no vision the people perish. It has been at these times when all seems bleak that the Lord has seen fit to provide a way when there has seemed to be no way. A way back to where that straight and narrow road crosses as only a path, and I stumble to my knees thankful so thankful that I have once again found it.
May God bless you on your journey, and may we assist each other in our journey on the way.
Brother, I appreciate your testimony so much! Maybe you and Ellen could read the testimony of Lilias Dunbar,
“Listen to her profession of faith as found in her diary for May 1, 1677. She writes: ‘The Lord, who is the Almighty, by his power, made my soul to close with the Lord Jesus, wholly on the terms that the gospel holdeth forth; and the Lord himself gave me faith to believe in Jesus Christ, that he was my Savior, which I could never attain before that time on good grounds. On that blessed morning to me, I got the Rock of ages to be my support, and I got Christ Jesus to be to me the end of the law for righteousness, to comfort me inwardly, under my disconsolate condition outwardly; for it was but fifteen days after the death of my Lady Duffus, who was in place of my parents and all my relations to me. Now I cannot pass by without observing the wisdom and goodness of God to me, in choosing that day and time for my deliverance out of the hands of all mine enemies, that I might serve him without fear. It was the time wherein I was more desolate. I was deprived of my parents by death, and had not the expectation of other means to supply my wants. It was then I was deprived of the only person in the world who took care of me, when it pleased the wise Lord by death to put a separation betwixt my Lady Duffus and me, who died April 16, 1677. Then it was that the gracious God, who delights in showing mercy, did enlarge my heart and make me to take hold of him who is the pearl of great price, in whom all fullness dwells.'”
Here is where I found it:
http://4christcrowncovenant.christian-heritage-news.com/2018/05/lilias-dunbar-testimony-of-scottish-lass.html
And here is Mrs. Wittman’s source:
http://www.thisday.pcahistory.org/2018/05/may-1-6/
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It is a Great and loving God we serve, who is worthy of all we are and possess. I truly appreciate your site, and your encouraging words. And thanks for this info. I’ll look forward to reading more.
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Amen, Jerry! He “is worthy of all we are and possess”!
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Still working on Ezekiel…!
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