The Search
This is the story of a changed life, as told to Power to Change Ministries
Since I was a junior high school student, I have been thinking that I would work for reformation of our society that is full of inconsistencies. However the invasion to Cambodia by Vietnam and the intervention to Vietnam by China took place. Then I came to be so disappointed in Socialism.
During the time I was wondering what I would be able to believe in, I was told that if I wanted to know my own way, experiencing another culture is the best way to find out what my own way is. So I traveled abroad when I was a junior at the university. I also started studying philosophy as well. Through studying philosophy, I was confronted with the question, “What does man live for?” Every time when I meet a friend, I always ask him or her, “what is the goal of your life?” or “what is your belief about the purpose of your life?” Some of them told me that I could believe in myself. However I knew that I was weak, so that I could not trust in myself.
Through studying comparative philosophy, I came to know that though there are a number of great philosophers in the world, none of them is absolute. I came to the conclusion that there must be God, if there is only one truth.
One day I told my experience to one of my friends who was a Christian. She asked me to go to a church, and attending the church does not mean I would become to believe in God, so I decided to attend it. The pastor was so humorous, but gave us a message that was deeper than any other philosophy. I thought that Christians had their own world. I concluded that I do not need God, because I would be able to trust in people and other people loved me as well.
The very next day, I lost the important note. I had no idea where I left it, so all I could to was just pray. Even I was on the train on my way back to home, I just kept praying. Before I reached at my home, what the pastor told us yesterday, “God is love,” came up to my mind. I thought, “If what the pastor said was right, I might need to love God also. But how can I love God? Well I will give a try to read the Bible anyways.” Right after I came back home, one of my friend gave me a call and said that she found my note at a wash room in the school. I thought that I had better not conclud too easily that there is no God at all.
Though I started reading the Bible, attending the church sometimes, and praying when I got a trouble, I could not trust in God. Believing God seems to me like jumping off from a cliff blindfolded.
Sometime later, I went to Billy Graham’s mission rally. Then I thought that no one knows everything, but only God can do. I noticed that even though God helped me when I prayed, I had not accepted Him into me yet. So I decided to accept Jesus as my Savior.
Since that time, I have confidence on my decisions. Every time before I make a decision, I pray. After making the decision, I trust that the Lord will help me, so that I have always peace in my mind.
I have experienced such as studying abroad, getting a job, marriage and giving a birth since I became a Christian. It has been great that the Lord always with me at any time.
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.
