Grateful for Salvation
By Connie Moss©

I was in the lunchroom in 4th grade when I heard some of the girls talking about going to church and all the cool things they had learned.  I remember they were talking about Jesus feeding the multitudes with the 5 loaves of bread and the 3 fish.  I thought at first that it was dumb, "no one can feed 5,000 people with that little bit of food."  So, I kinda shrugged it off.  The next week they were talking again and were sharing the story about Noah and the Ark.   I am very curious by nature anyway, so, I decided, on my own, to go to church that next Sunday.   My parents did not attend church and I had never been, to my knowledge... maybe as a baby, but I don't know... I walked to the First Baptist Church of Urbandale about a block from my house.  I went to Sunday School and church.  I started getting involved, going to camps, retreats, Wednesday nights, Vacation Bible School , etc... I did this all on my own.  One night while we were having a "Kid's Revival", I remember the Children's Pastor asking that if anyone wanted to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior to come down to the front and someone would pray with them.  Many children went down and I stood there gripping the back of the chair in front of me.  I knew down deep inside that I should go... I felt compelled to go... I heard a "still, small" voice say, "Go"!  My stomach was full of "butterflies", then, without even thinking about it, I let go of the back of that chair and started walking down the isle.  I knew that this was right... I knew that this was to be my life... and that night, I knew there was a "calling" on my life to serve the Lord and serve people.  I better understood that calling later in 7th and 8th grade. I ended up getting baptized and my parents attended that night, then after my baptism they attended church on a more regular basis.

Throughout my life I can say that the Lord has been with me; through the good times and the bad.  I never understood the teaching from some that once you became a Christian that every is just " rosey "... it's not... there is still pain and suffering, there is still heartache and grief, there is still sin and hurt; but without Jesus in my life, I don't know where I'd be... probably in a gutter somewhere... :)

Jesus gives me hope for tomorrow, He gives me a song to sing when I'm down and depressed, He brings joy in the morning when there has been despair and when there have been times that I thought I was going to die, He was and is my strength.

How can this be?  How do I know He's real?  I know because I know that I know, in my heart... and I believe by faith... no, I cannot see Him, I cannot touch Him, but I have sensed His presence, I know how He has touched my life, I see Him in the moon, the stars at night, the sun, the mountains, the trees, in every living thing.  I see Him in my children's faces... and all the good in life. 

Bad things still happen... people still suffer... and there are things that happen that I or no one can explain... my hope is that one day the answers will be revealed and we will stand face to face with the Lord and He will share with us the mysteries of this world. 

For now, we are to love one another, reach out to the poor, feed the hungry, take care of the elderly and the orphans, shelter the homeless... we have a lot to do... we should be an example to others where we live; in our schools, our jobs, our communities.

“And to LOVE the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and minds.”   I do love the Lord and thank Him for giving me life on this earth. We are here for just a little while... and then there's eternity. 

God bless you all and walk in favor!

Connie  

If you are a Christian, when did you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and do you remember the circumstances surrounding that event?  

  “ Great post today, and to answer that question: I gave my heart to Jesus on September 29th, 1978 (did they have cars back then?) after living a life of promiscuity, drugs, alcohol and rebellion. At the ripe age of 13, I was smoking three packs of cigarettes a day!!!  I have never once wanted to return to the muck and mire the Lord pulled me out of... not even when life made no sense. I have always known that God is there, He is real, He cares for me through the toughest times... heart problem, severe viral infections, cancer, people dying, friends turning away from us, and prodigal children. He's brought me through some of the most difficult things a person can go through. And I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIS FACE AND SPEND ETERNITY WITH HIM!” Posted 8/27/2007 7:17 AM by lifemustgoonanyway

“There's so much we could do about loving each other, ourselves, and the unlovable.  It all comes from Christ.  It's like we almost have to be people person to reach out to Christ, but in all reality He uses us all.  Love you!!” Posted 8/27/2007 8:23 AM by GodlyWoman83

“I was saved September 22, 1979, at the age of 17,  I'd gone off and on to church all through my childhood, but then a new girl at school invited me to her church (much smaller and simpler...) and they had a revival.  God seemed to really get through to me through those loving people, and I went forward at the end of a service.  Since then, my Christian walk has deepened.  I went my own way instead of God's for a few years in college... but even through that He was working on me.  Praise be to Him!” Posted 8/27/2007 8:50 AM by quilt_cats

“To answer the question for the day, I got saved when I was 6-7 yrs old in Sunday School . The teacher taught us about the three hearts. There was a black heart, a white heart and a red heart. The black heart was full of sin, the red heart was a heart being covered by the blood of Jesus and the white heart was a pure heart with no sin. She asked us what heart we wanted and I wanted to have the white heart. So we all stood in a circle and said the sinner's prayer and asked Jesus to come into our lives. I remember my Mom crying when I shared with my parents the story after church of what I had learned and done. To this day, I'm still a born again Christian, who's made a lot of mistakes in this journey of life and have even slipped backwards a few times in the past I admit. But thanks to our faithful and loving God, He has forgiven me and I'm growing every day!! Have a blessed day!!”   Posted 8/27/2007 12:02 PM by Sweet_Escapes

“I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was 14 years old and we had attended a Valentines banquet at a Christian College; then and there, I gave my life to the Lord, not to say I haven't stayed in His closeness,
yes, I have slipped away but always, always He brought me back! He is my Rock & my foundation and has brought me through many sad, and hard times. Never has God ever failed me. No we may not
ever know all that God wants us to know here... but one day we will… hallelujah ...Amen!” Posted 8/27/2007 1:06 PM by Mymanyblessings

“I've been attending church since I was in the womb. I accepted Jesus and was baptized when I was in 3rd grade. I attended church with family, but didn't seek the personal relationship with the Lord till I was around 30, and started attending Bible Study Fellowship in a church in my community. There I learned so much about God and desired to have a personal relationship with Him!” Posted 8/27/2007 2:10 PM by xencouragerx

“To answer your question I was around 13 I think and I was in a catholic prayer meeting that met every Friday night I went with my mom and dad. and I asked my mom how old do you have to be to serve Jesus and she said Michelle do you want to receive Jesus I said how do you do that and every body around me prayed over me in this class room and they said shelly all you have to do is repent of your sins and say Jesus please come into my heart and I did that and I was crying and I said Jesus please I am so sorry for my sins will you please come into my heart and live. And then a few minutes later I said thank you Jesus for coming to live in my heart.” Love, Shelly. Posted 8/27/2007 2:33 PM by rodsgurl

“Great article! I love that you heard about God at school. :)
I grew up in a "Christian" or church going home. I could have told a lot of people all about Jesus growing up as a kid, but I don't think it was real to me. My parents got divorced when I was in 7th grade, and I stopped going to church for various reasons. Then in 9th grade there was a girl next to me in English and I knew her dad was a pastor. I asked if I could come to her youth group (which was weird b/c I wasn't that outgoing). I started going, and that summer at a big youth event I decided I wanted Jesus to be in control of my life. It hasn't always been easy, as you mentioned, and I've made a ton of mistakes, but even in the worst of moments, Jesus is always with me, and that is comforting. God has been my father when my earthly dad has let me down.” Posted 8/27/2007 4:57 PM by pandamills

“Wonderful testimony, Connie, this touched my heart, and brought tears to my eyes... and your wise words following about pain, and suffering, and the love of God... isn't that truly when we feel the closest to Him... when we are going through something painful??  At least that's how it's been in my life!  So many things lead up to my actually, finally, and completely giving my heart to the Lord.  I'd been baptized as a young girl, and grew away from Him... but in the end... I had come out of a rough marriage... a friend at work had shared the Lord with me and invited me to church... I went and knew my life needed Him totally, so in May of 1982, I re-dedicated my life, and was re-baptized... that's when my life truly began... but I had so much to deal with from the past.  He is faithful, and sent me a beautiful husband shortly after that... and the rest is His Story!  I'm still struggling in many areas, but without Him... I'd probably be right there with you in that gutter!  We serve a Great God, Connie, and He will never leave us nor forsake us!  I'd love to share more of my testimony with you!  I've started writing it down, then I get side tracked, so this is a good time, since you've brought this up, that I can go and reflect and be thankful on where He's brought me from, and finish writing it!  It's a good thing to have our testimonies written down, so that we can be ready to share the Hope that is within us to those who are searching for answers, for acceptance, and for real love!” Posted 8/27/2007 5:17 PM by Threads_of_Faith

“I gave my heart to the Lord in a purposeful way at age 14; I believe that it was in 1969. Anyway...I was able to remain strong and grow in the Lord for a while but fell away behaviorally in college and graduate school. I bought into the feminist lie and the "free-love" lie and the hippie lie of freedom through open relationships. I bought the whole intellectual make-it-on-your-own garbage, except that there was always one teeny-tiny seed rubbing inside my heart that felt like a boulder. I always believed and prayed. I needed to align my life with His Word. God wanted me back! My youngest brother got saved in the early 80's. He could not remember my early years of salvation (he was only 4 or so), so witnessed to me and my husband. My husband flatly rejected it. I, however recognized God's face again and began the process of righting my life according to the Word.  I cannot explain the relief and joy I felt when I realized that God had used my baby brother to show me the Truth! It was so incredible to embrace my sweet, sweet Lord, my Jesus again after so many long empty years. After my husband left, I decided to return fully to the Lord and make sure that my son had a firm foundation. I have never turned back for He is my ALL.   What I learned when I was baptized at age 14 was that while there is a true purification that occurs when we surrender everything (abuses, hurts, anger, bitterness, etc.) to Him, there is usually still life-stuff to deal with. We are cleansed from within, yes, but there will probably be some honing and pruning work to be done. God's pure cleansing stream of love and forgiveness crashes through us with the power of a waterfall. He shows us the way we need to heal, He gives us the means (His Word) and then He helps us to heal! He is so faithful.   God is still working. He transformed me about five years ago from wrongful thinking and that in itself felt like a new salvation. I was renewed and finally right with God. Sometimes there are remnants of our pasts that trail along clinging to the dirt of our lives like baby blankies that God needs to wean us from. Praise God that He is patient and loves us. Great post” Posted 8/27/2007 5:36 PM by catzndogz9

“Wow, Connie, I should have known you would have an amazing testimony about your salvation. I am always amazed at the way God touches the hearts of little children to come to Him. I was also a God-seeking child.   God used a Baptist Hymnal when I was about 5 or 6 years old to initially get my attention. I was thrilled when I figured out how to sing from it and asked to go to church so I could sing. Later, I asked my mom as a kid (under ten) to go to Sunday School , even though she didn't attend a church. We picked one and she took me and dropped me off. I was about 9 or so. When I was 11 my mom remarried and we moved to a small town outside Corpus Christi . A new friend, Delores, invited me to go to church with her. I asked Jesus to come into my life at that church. Thank goodness I had early promptings from the Lord because when I was a teenager I went in the opposite direction from what I knew to be the right way. It wasn't until I was about 20 and had moved to Houston that I knew I had to get off the fence and come back to the Lord. That's a mighty long-winded description of my early relationship with God, but rarely are relationships ever tidy and neat. Thank God for his long suffering with me!”   Posted 8/27/2007 5:42 PM by suzmurphy

“Let's see... I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was 13 or so. I was going to church with a friend of mine and one night I talked with our pastor. I really enjoyed listening to him. He was an older gentleman but he seemed to understand what it was like to be a teen. I truly loved him. The next Wednesday night I felt a calling to go to the alter and accept Jesus into my life. Pastor Ortho was there with me and prayed with me. I have strayed a few times in life as I have grown but every time I come back, I have learned from my mistakes.   When Pastor Ortho died in an accident it broke my heart but I know that I might never have known all that Jesus did for me on the cross had it not been for him.   Thanks again!! God Bless!!!” Posted 8/27/2007 5:44 PM by wolskimom

”As a young girl I kept asking God to save me not really understand all about it but then in 1973 I finally knew what being saved meant. God has been with me through many of valleys since then I can not believe how anyone can make it in life with out God and yet there are so many lost souls' out there, we as Christians can and should make a difference in their lives; my prayer is to be a good witness for those that are lost!”   Posted 8/27/2007 11:40 PM by cleaner2