Testimony
I grew up going to church, but other than feeling the conviction that certain things were right or wrong because the Bible said so, my christian life was pretty much limited to church on Sundays.
In high school, however, I started to question what role God had in my life, whether I was really a Christian, and if it was just something I did because my parents told me to. In college I thought that if I made friends, found a job, found a boyfriend and had a good social life I would be happy and fulfilled. However, these things didn’t fulfill or satisfy me. I had heard other people give their testimonies before and I knew becoming a Christian meant accepting the truth that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from your sins, and would forgive you if you believed this truth and repented of your sins. However, knowing Jesus died for my sins and repenting didn’t make me feel like a new person, and I certainly didn’t act like one.
After my first freshman semester, I transferred to Shippensburg University to save money, and that’s when I got involved in DiscipleMakers. The Bible studies and the Fall Conference impacted me in a big way as I realized the extent of my sin and that I couldn’t earn righteousness on my own. I felt devastated by the guilt and the realization that I had filled my life with running after shallow things that left me feeling empty in the long run.
But Romans 9 also sank into me the truth that it was God’s grace, and not my own effort that would save me from sin. God sent his son Jesus to do what was necessary to save me. Jesus lived a perfect life completing perfectly everything the first man, Adam, and all men after him had failed in. God had given us rules to live by and only Jesus fulfilled them perfectly. God had done all this because he knew that as sinners we couldn’t do it perfectly, but God wants a relationship with us despite the fact that even the best among us with the best intentions are still sinners that fall short of being worthy of a relationship with him.
So, where did that leave me? I’ve been learning that God is faithful and unchanging and is worth basing my life around. Each day God has revealed more of himself to me through the Scriptures, transforming me into someone who desires a relationship with him.
As the Lord has grown me, he has given me a vision for sharing these things with other people. And I am excited to make disciples and to be an instrument for the Lord to bring people to him.
In high school, however, I started to question what role God had in my life, whether I was really a Christian, and if it was just something I did because my parents told me to. In college I thought that if I made friends, found a job, found a boyfriend and had a good social life I would be happy and fulfilled. However, these things didn’t fulfill or satisfy me. I had heard other people give their testimonies before and I knew becoming a Christian meant accepting the truth that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from your sins, and would forgive you if you believed this truth and repented of your sins. However, knowing Jesus died for my sins and repenting didn’t make me feel like a new person, and I certainly didn’t act like one.
After my first freshman semester, I transferred to Shippensburg University to save money, and that’s when I got involved in DiscipleMakers. The Bible studies and the Fall Conference impacted me in a big way as I realized the extent of my sin and that I couldn’t earn righteousness on my own. I felt devastated by the guilt and the realization that I had filled my life with running after shallow things that left me feeling empty in the long run.
But Romans 9 also sank into me the truth that it was God’s grace, and not my own effort that would save me from sin. God sent his son Jesus to do what was necessary to save me. Jesus lived a perfect life completing perfectly everything the first man, Adam, and all men after him had failed in. God had given us rules to live by and only Jesus fulfilled them perfectly. God had done all this because he knew that as sinners we couldn’t do it perfectly, but God wants a relationship with us despite the fact that even the best among us with the best intentions are still sinners that fall short of being worthy of a relationship with him.
So, where did that leave me? I’ve been learning that God is faithful and unchanging and is worth basing my life around. Each day God has revealed more of himself to me through the Scriptures, transforming me into someone who desires a relationship with him.
As the Lord has grown me, he has given me a vision for sharing these things with other people. And I am excited to make disciples and to be an instrument for the Lord to bring people to him.
