His will, not mine

i often ask myself as a reminder 'what keeps you from going all in with Jesus?' that’s my question to you as well. four years ago, this question really challenged me. today, it is always a reminder that no matter the trials and tribulations you will experience, God is graceful and merciful. when chance reached out to me, in the first moments i was unsure of what i should write about. however, the Spirit quickly took over, and i knew i needed to write about what changed my relationship with Jesus. i recently attended baylor university, and it truly challenged and strengthened my relationship with God. in my years at school there, i began going to Harris Creek Baptist Church. i had a prior relationship with Jesus before baylor, yet i wouldn’t say i really knew who Jesus was and how amazing he is. in one of my first times attending Harris Creek, i introduced myself to the lead pastor. within our conversation, he said, 'between 1-10, 10 being certain and 1 being not so sure, if you died right now, how certain would you be that you would go to Heaven?' In all honesty, i responded with 'maybe a 6 or 7.' following that he asked, 'if you stood before God and He asked you why He should let you into Heaven, what would you say?' At that moment, i froze. i proceeded to think about how i have sinned but there’s also good in me and before i could speak, he stopped me. he then says 'for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.' (Ephesians 2: 8-9) this verse is still one that is rooted deep in my heart today. no matter the sin and no matter the shame, my belief in Jesus is that 'by grace I have been saved, through faith,' which gives me the certainty that i will go to Heaven.

truthfully, i believe that we think Jesus is not a safe bet, so we hold onto control of our lives and lack the ability to go all in with Jesus. self-reliance is what keeps you from going all in with Jesus. fortunately, Jesus destroys the devil’s work. Jesus takes on our suffering so that we will ultimately be freed and redeemed. we cannot do this ourselves, and it’s a daily reminder to grow in your faith because you alone cannot get into the gates of Heaven. To the ones reading this, this is my story of the early stages of God entering my life. His word constantly reminds me that believing in Him gives us eternal life (1 John 5:13). while i am a sinner, this is a reminder that none of us are perfect, except for His only Son, Jesus. God is redeeming and has redeemed me. no matter what season of life you may be in, let God paint your story by believing in Him and trusting His will.

-n0tbyjared