Ray’s New Year resolutions never worked!

You have probably heard about, or read about, dramatic and exciting stories concerning individuals who have met God, been converted, and been radically changed - like Nicky Cruz, or Saul of Tarsus, to name just two. This brief article is written for: (a) those people who have not yet had an experience with Jesus, but would like one, and (b) those people who have invited Jesus into their lives, but feel that because nothing dramatic seemed to happen, you have no testimony to give, perhaps even the date is somewhat vague, because it was a gradual process. Let me remind you that the angels in heaven rejoiced when your name was ticked in God’s heavenly register.

If you have not yet let Jesus take over your life, then no experience you have had, however dramatic that may have seemed, can compare in any way to the life-changing experience Jesus brings. He came into my life in a very personal way 53 years ago, and I am still discovering exciting and new things about Him.

I was brought up in a Christian home, the youngest of four children, sheltered from many of the temptations that a lot of you reading this article have had to face. I suppose I had a fairly strict upbringing, although I didn’t notice it at the time. We had very little money, and amongst the rules of the family were: no drinking; no smoking; no gambling in any form; no dancing; no cinema; no swearing; church twice every Sunday; Sunday School every Sunday afternoon. A dull life? Not a bit! I was very happy, and shown a lot of love. I can still remember the frustrating rule of having to finish homework BEFORE going out to play, which resulted in homework being very poorly done. The regular dreaded comments on school reports at the end of each year “could do better” were probably true. I loved all forms of sport. (By the way, NO studying on a Sunday, even when exams were on Monday morning. Sunday was God’s day, not Raymond’s).

Let me take you back to when I was just four years old. My father gave up a very promising career in the electrical sales business (he had been transferred from London just four years earlier on promotion) in order to serve the Lord on a full time basis as a ‘Pastor’. From that point on he lived entirely by faith with no regular source of income. I was about to start at infants school, my two sisters were in junior school, and my elder brother was about to start grammar school. I suppose you could say therefore that we were all brought up BY FAITH - no wonder the Lord in His wonderful grace and mercy soundly saved us all, praise His glorious Name!

To get back to my own story, of course as I grew up -7,8,9,10 - I didn't need a Saviour. My father was a PASTOR, my mother was always PRAYING, I attended church regularly, AND Sunday school. I was part of a Christian family.....

From the age of about 9, I made regular ‘New Year Resolutions’, and not just at New Year. They were very serious resolutions for a 9-year old: I would NEVER do that again (Wrong thing), I would ALWAYS do this from now on (Right thing). Of course, they never worked, I couldn’t change - God was beginning to draw me
to Himself.

At the age of twelve I came across these verses in the Bible: “’My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways’, says the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” I thought to myself, if that is true, there is no way I can MAKE MYSELF good. I knew suddenly that I needed Jesus to do the job for me. I invited Him to take control of my life, and He did. That was 53 years ago, and He has never left me, and I know He never will - even beyond death where heaven is waiting to welcome me. My father, mother, brother and one sister have already gone before me, and I KNOW, I AM SURE, I will follow them one day. The only way I could become good enough for heaven was to put on NOW HIS righteousness that covers ALL my failures and sin.

Are you SURE of where you are going after death? Heaven or hell? The choice is one YOU must make in THIS life - not the one after. If you are not sure, MAKE SURE TODAY.

Ray

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