Faith Becomes Real

I had a typical Anglican family up-bringing, sheltered and secure. I was baptized as an infant. Confirmed at age thirteen, I accepted the Nicene Creed as the basis of my faith.

As a youth, I attended church regularly as a chorister and altar server. I took these duties seriously, and learned to appreciate the beautiful prose of the King James Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, the Hymns Ancient and Modern, and especially the Psalter.

I felt a sense of "presence" in old churches, especially the fine cathedrals, and would have been quite offended had anyone questioned my being a "Christian". At best, I was a "passive Christian" whose faith was formed in childhood and had not grown because there were so many other things to learn. I accepted the power of God, and the birth, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, but never really understood why He had to die on a cross.

After four years away during the war, I returned home and began education for entry back into the real world. I met the finest person in my life - my wife, and my security and happiness revolved around my marriage, working life, and later our family. All my life has been guided by God and not by chance. It was not by my own direction that I have been so fortunate. Yet, something was missing.

I felt drawn by a Power to Change invitation in the newspaper, and after reading the booklet, experienced a much deeper acceptance of the uniqueness of Jesus and a calling to strengthen my faith. After the person who brought the Power to Change booklet introduced me to the Alpha program, I knew there was no turning back. This was no sudden revelation, but with each chapter of the Power to Change and each session of Alpha, I knew this was what I had been looking for. My wife and I found a wonderful caring body of Christians in a local Community Church where we accepted adult baptism and could actively pursue our growth in faith, the acceptance of the forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

One of the most memorable texts from Alpha is from Revelation 3:20, and the famous painting showing Jesus standing at the closed door, holding a lamp and saying:

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and eat with him and he with me."

I have accepted this invitation and humbly opened the door to my heart, and I will try to be a worthy servant of Christ.
Since turning to Christ, I am more at peace with life in general when I accept that my life has not been a random journey, but a divinely guided one, and that I can rely on His guidance in the future. Probably, I am also more understanding of the problems of others who may feel they have no shoulder to lean on.

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

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