I grew up attending a Christian elementary school and accepted Christ as my Savior at 8 years old. Romans 3:23 states “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, and Romans 6:23 says “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. I learned that I, as well as everyone else, was a sinner and needed Christ to save me from my sins or else I would spend eternity in hell. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8. God clearly defines how we are saved in Romans 10:9 by saying “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. I understood this concept at a young age, but I have learned to appreciate it more as I have grown older. I felt very close to Jesus during my elementary years before I attended a public high school. My drive to follow Jesus faded once entering public school. Without the constant teaching and encouragement from my Christian teachers and staff, I found myself preoccupied with worldly things. I became very concerned with my body image, saying the “right” things around my peers, excelling in sports, and just “fitting in” with my classmates. Though I never walked away from my faith in Christ, it took a lesser role in my life than before. I paid for this mistake. I often times felt lonely or empty. I tried to fill the emptiness with friends, new clothes, dances, good grades, etc. but nothing would fill me like Christ could. God greatly humbled me my first year of college. My running ability, which I was so proud of in high school, severely decreased. I also had a hard time finding friends. At this point I felt very lonely and very empty and knew that I could no longer be the “lord” or master of my own life. Things began to change when I started attending Campus Crusade for Christ. I had found a Christian community again and felt at home with these people. It was during this first year that I decided to make Jesus the Lord of my life. Now I not only had a Savior from my sins but I invited Him to direct my life. My life began to change. Jesus filled the emptiness I felt in my life and I had joy once again. God helped me “clean up my life”. Without Christ in my life as my Lord and Savior, I would be prideful, a gossiper, self-centered, and just not a fun person to be around. I was and will always be in need of Jesus. I am only free from the weight and guilt of sins in my life when I make Jesus the Lord of my life every day.
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Bob