"As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live in him.
Keep your roots deep in him and have your lives built on him.
Be strong in the faith, just as your were taught,
and always be thankful"
~ Colossians 2:6
This scripture is penetrating my heart this morning, for in an instance I am reminded of that very day when I stepped over from darkness into light and received Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life.
Just a few nights before I received Jesus I was babysitting my 2 nieces and nephew on my own and I was having a ciggy and a beer and just watching TV (I was 16 at the time). A christian ad came on TV and I remember thinking how lame the ad was in representing God and right at that moment, the Holy Spirit came into the room, everything became brighter (at the time I didn't know it was the Lord, I just knew it was good, for I had seen and experienced many of times an evil presence) and He spoke to me and said these very words ~
"If Jesus returned right now would you go to heaven"?
These words convicted my heart, soul and mind immediately and I was so afraid, I looked at the beer and cigarette and instantly felt so unclean, and I ran to the phone to call my beautiful Godly mother and began asking her "when is Jesus coming, is He coming?" Mum reassured me what was going on and gently encouraged me to go to a youth service.
So a couple of days later I arrived at 'Teen Rock', which was an awesome youth church at the time. When the music started I was shocked at how cool it sounded and how the teenagers around me were so into it and fully singing to their God.
At the end a young lady was out the front talking about Jesus and what the cross means for us all and I remember thinking "there is no way I am going down the front', next thing I knew was I was out the front, crying and weeping. All I said was "Jesus, I don't know you, I don't trust you, but I give you this heart" and right then I just could not stop crying, His love was so overwhelming and I felt like their was a water fall inside of me washing all the filth and addictions away.
Just like that in 1 second I was in darkness, the next second I was in the light!
I don't ever want to forget where I was when I met Jesus and I don't ever want to go away from my first love.
I love the Lord more today for once again gently guiding me to keep Jesus at the centre of my everyday activities. Teaching me to be strong in the faith when I feel weak and to simply be thankful!