LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND!

"LOVE NOT THE WORLD, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (I John 2:15-17).

I remember when I gave my life to Christ. my husband and I were allowing our children to go to church on the church bus. We were not attending church at all. Then one day they came home and asked us to go to church with them on Father's Day. Our lives were a mess, we were out of control, we were miserable and had even discussed divorce.

This was at a time in my life when I was unhappy, I felt empty, I was angry, lonely and I felt hopeless. I can remember I would walk outside of our home at night and I would stare up at the stars. I would pray and ask God to help me with tears streaming down my face. I didn't think God wat hearing my prayers, I felt like they were bouncing off of heaven. I had no relationship with him and the sin in my life had separated me from Him. Night after night I would go stand outside alone and pray, but nothing happened.

Then back to the day when the kids came home and asked us to go to church. I went to my husband, Chuck and told him they wanted us to go and they would get a prize if they got him to come. He replied to me that he wasn't going and he wasn't changing his mind. I went back to the kids and told them not to worry, we would be going.

So Father's day came. I got up early, got the kids ready, then went back to our room and put Chuck's suit on the bed. I told him to get up that we were going to church. He said he wasn't going. I then replied, if you don't get up and go, then our marriage is over, I can't live this way any longer. He was drinking alot at that time, he had gotten me to start drinking, we were going to clubs and our lives were a mess. So anyway, Chuck decided to get up and get ready, he told me later, he was ready to leave and get a divorce, but he wasn't going to do it on my terms, that he was going to leave when he got ready to leave.

We all finally get ready and in the car. The church we were going to was about twenty miles away. However, the first little church we come to, Chuck pulls into the parking lot. I said to him, "this is not the church we are going to." He replied, "you said we were going to church and we are at church and this is where we are going." So we pull in, get out, go inside, and find about ten people there and half of them were the pastor's family. The church was new, it was being held in a small trailer type building.

Chuck told me later he chose that church because there were hardly any cars there and he knew no one would bother him. Anyway, at the end of the church service, the pastor gave the invitation to come forward to accept Christ. Neither Chuck nor I got up although I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me of my sin. Then the pastor passes the offering plate at the end of the service and we had filled out visitor cards, and on the back it asked if you would like a visit from the pastor, well, I didn't tell Chuck but I checked yes.

So finally we leave. We go home and put on our cutoff jean shorts and head for the lake to swim. It was a sunny day, not too hot, just comfortable. We arrived at the lake and we were all swimming around, when I felt this light coming through the trees. I remember looking up and it seemed like this light was shining down on me and I began to cry. Chuck swam over to me and asked me what was wrong, I replied, "if I were to die today and stand before God, I know He would turn His face from me, I know I would go to hell. " With that Chuck decided it was time to go home, so we got the kids in the car and rode silently all the way home.

We had barely gotten in the door when there was a knock on the door and it was the little Baptist pastor from the church we had attended. I said wait a minute and I closed the door, I knew I had to prepare Chuck, because I remember one night, some men knocked on our door that were witnessing and they asked Chuck if they could ask him a question. He said, "ask", they proceeded to ask, "do you know if you died tonight if you would go to heaven or hell?" Chuck replied, "no and neither do you," He said, "I have eternal life here on earth, God doesn't want me and the devil doesn't want the competition." Needless to say they left. So when I saw that pastor at the door, I had to tell Chuck I had invited him in order to get him to let him in the house.

So I let him know he was there and then I went to let the pastor in the house. We went in and sat at the kitchen table. He began to share with us, how Christ knew everything about us, yet He still loved us and that He wanted to be part of our lives. I remember looking across the table and tears were streaming down Chuck's face. I had no idea he was even close to wanting to accept Christ. Tears began to stream down my face too. This little preacher continued to share the gospel with us, then asked if we would like to pray and ask Jesus to come and live in our hearts, we both said yes. We held hands, I remember the brokenness in Chuck's voice as he prayed in his own words and asked for forgiveness, at times he couldn't speak. Then I prayed and asked Christ in my heart. So we both received Christ on the same day, we are exactly the same age in the Lord.

Since that day, we have been growing, learning and continue to be blessed by the love of the Father. Our lives have never been the same. We quit doing the worldly things we were doing, we began to read our bibles and study. God has allowed us to share his love with many people since. We no longer enjoy the things of the world in the way we did before, we have a different appreciation for life. I am thankful He chose to save us that day. We both served Satan for many years, but God took us right where we were and we will serve Him for the rest of our lives. Everything in this life is temporary, only what's done for Christ will last. I don't want to waste a single moment of the life He has given me, I plan to make the most of every opportunity to share there's a better way, and He is the only way, His name is Jesus Christ!