2. What do I have to do to become a Christian?
2/6/21
Hello!
Wow, it has been so very hard to start writing this week. I had a feeling that starting this particular mini series would be a challenge and it is. Which keeps leading me to believe that there is a purpose for it, or else the enemy would NOT be trying so hard to deter me, lol.
So… what do you have to do to become a Christian? It is as simple as giving your heart to Christ. And that’s a wrap on this weeks blog!!!
HA. Just kidding.
But seriously! It is that easy. You don’t have to know the Bible backwards, you don’t have to be a perfect person, you don’t have to do anything other than realize your innate need for not only a savior, but a best friend. And then, you just accept the invitation that has always been extended to you.
A lot of times, the people who find God are the ones who are the most broken. It’ll be the person struggling with addiction or bad relationships or deep loss. It is then that they realize there is more than what their limited perspective and experience can even begin to understand- it is the person who is reduced to nothing who realizes that their own strength will never be enough. And that there is a never-ending supply of it found in one who is much greater, kinder, wiser, and loving than we will ever be able to comprehend. But why is that?
To get started, let me tell you a little about my experience with Christ! I was very blessed to have two grandmothers who prayed for me before I was born and who spoke openly with me about God my entire childhood. I witnessed Nana reading her Bible every single evening before falling asleep. I witnessed Ema befriending every human she ever met and talking about Jesus in almost every conversation I ever heard her have. While my Nana was from a more conservative and Baptist background opposed to my very evangelical and spiritual Ema, I ended up finding myself in the middle. Which to this day is a place I am very happy to be; I cannot remember a day of my life in which I did not have a personal relationship with Jesus.
I remember once as a very young girl learning a story about a man who was saved on his death bed but had lived his entire life according to his own pleasures. I asked God why I should follow him all the days of my life if I could live the way I wanted to and still end up in Heaven. I will never, ever forget hearing Him answer me- “A life lived with me is infinitely more full than a life spent without me.” And that is the very first memory I have of experiencing God’s voice. I realized the blessing it was to have Him for as much time as possible. It was anything but a burden to know Christ because I wouldn’t have to wander aimlessly for my entire existence without knowing His love, only to find it right in the 11th hour before I could truly enjoy and grow in my relationship with Him. It honestly makes me very emotional to write about it still... 😂
I will get more into my story later, but I just wanted to share a small bit with you for the purpose of explaining that concept. It was the first lesson in faith that I truly took to heart and one that has never left me all the days of my life. I may only be 22, but assuming I was no older than 6 at the time, it has definitely proved to be vital in the years since.
It is never too early or too late to accept Christ. But I can tell you surely that my life and everyone near to me has been filled with such abundant and infinite blessings all due to God’s welcome presence in my heart, mind, and soul.
Imagine knowing God like knowing your literal soul-mate… We all search for the person we are meant to partner with in life, even from the youngest of age. We all dream about getting to experience them, to learn little things about them, to discover their childhood story and how they grew up, and to start growing next to them. You want to be there through the trials that mold them and you want to witness them become a father or mother. You want to witness the career moves they make and to see their dreams come true.
I think the thing we so often forget about God is that all of these same principles apply. We never have to search a day in our lives to find our soul-mate because He is exactly that. We don’t have to get to know and date 50 people and get our hearts broken to discover who God is and yet, a lot of us do exactly that. We get caught up in a relationship with addiction or with a toxic human being. We get caught up in a relationship with our own will, our own judgement. We get caught up in a relationship with the world and end up broken hearted every. single. time. And it is often at this point that we find Christ if we do at all.
While God has a plan for all things, and while your heart may have needed to have those experiences to truly open up and let Him in, it breaks His heart to watch you suffer through those seasons. He wants to experience you and grow with you. And He wants you to want to learn about Him because He already knows you better than you will ever know yourself.
He gave us free will and His literal spirit to live inside of us for this very purpose- God = relationship. He created us to know us intimately. He sent His son from Heaven to Earth to develop relationships with the 12 disciples who would then send the gospel to the ends of the earth, continuing on thousands of years later. He came to walk through the same struggles, temptations, and trials that we all walk through even though it isn’t His fault that we have to walk through them. And not only did He do this for all of humanity for all of time, He did this because He wants to know YOU.
This all brings me back to my first point… The only thing you have to do is accept His invitation. No matter where you find yourself in the walk of life, He wants you to know Him. Because it will change everything. Because your life will be more full than ever before. Because all of your broken pieces will be transformed. Because the blessings He brings to your life will bless everyone that you encounter. Because he LOVES YOU.
So, what do you have to do to become a Christian?
Accept His love. And allow it to transform you, as true love always does.
I promise you that a life with Him is much fuller than a life without Him; that God is not some distant thing far off in the sky somewhere, but a tangible and intentional relationship for you to have and start developing right here and now.
As always, I pray that I have encouraged you and given you new thoughts to consider and not hurt you in any way. Message me if you would like to talk about anything because I am here for you. I love you. Have an incredible week!
See you next Sunday,
-Lexi Cummings
