Before Jesus Changed My Life

I grew up in a Christian household under devoted parents. There hasn't really been a time in my life that I can remember where I didn't see the story of Jesus as the truth. However, I know that I haven't taken Jesus as seriously throughout my life as a Christian; he felt more like something that just was, and not something I had to seriously devote myself to. Most of my attendance at Church felt like a chore, not worth waking up early and getting dragged out of bed to go sit in a giant room with uncomfortable chairs for an hour. When the time came to finally move out of my parents' house, it felt as though the burden of oppression from my father had been lifted, and part of that was the need to go to Church. So I stopped going, and entered the world of college, where I met many people with differing beliefs, and I saw a culture of worldliness that seemed like the norm I should follow to fit in. Beyond that, it seemed like a world that promoted a sense of shame inside me to profess my faith aloud. It wasn't until I moved into my second apartment, where I lived with another Christian, that I began to pump the brakes. And in my third and current apartment, I live with another Christian who knows far more about the theology than I do, and with whom I speak on the matter frequently.

How Jesus Changed My Life

One night when I was 10 years old, I don't recall why, but I was in my thoughts about life after death. After feeling a striking sense of fear, I called my dad into my room. I told him that I was afraid to go to Hell. After talking to me for a little while, my dad walked me through the Sinner's Prayer. That was the night I officially became a Christian. More recently, my roommate has encouraged me to focus more on my walk with Jesus. Being a pair of Christians the same age, it is a more effective system of encouragement than continued lectures from my father. Through others, I better understand what Jesus did for me and continues to do for me. Additionally, especially as someone with an interest in politics, I had a general understanding of what I valued and believed, but I didn't necessarily understand why I valued or believed it. But I knew the answer lay in the Bible and the teachings of God, and I should seek those answers in order to mount a defense for my beliefs if the time came. I've been afraid of being asked the question "Why do you believe in God?" I want to have the knowledge to answer that question. 1 Peter tells us to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that you have. Most recently, a high-profile assassination of a true agent of the Lord shook me and much of the nation to my core. And the response I saw, especially at the following Church service and the memorial, was a wave of the Holy Spirit over the people, the likes of which I have never seen before. It's the most powerful I have felt God's love, and that's when I realized I needed to kick it into high gear, to pick up the flag of a true man of God and be one myself. I want to live my life for the one who bore the weight of my sins on himself.

My Life After Jesus Saved Me

I feel a fire for the Lord I haven't quite felt before in my life. Since the assassination, I have taken several steps to become a more devoted follower. I have started attending Church far more regularly than before, and with greater enthusiasm. I have begun reading the Bible, something I haven't done before, from front to back. I have begun praying more regularly, incorporating a nightly bedside prayer into my day-to-day, as well as finding more instances to pray throughout the day. Most notably, I have been hosting a weekly Bible study, one where I have the chance to dive into the Gospel with close friends to better understand the Word. It is at this Bible Study where one day we got onto the topic of baptism, and after a call to my dad, I found out that I hadn't been baptized as a child, which was surprising considering how devout a Christian he is. But I know that baptism by water is one of the commands of my Lord, and that is why I am here. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23.