"THE ENCOURAGER"
June 22, 2000 - Issue 11

"My Salvation: A Rose Garden With Thorns!"

"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16:11

This scripture has always been special to me. If I had to say what scripture I would relate my salvation to, it would be Psalm 16:11.

This Newsletter is not the norm in many ways, as I usually try to share practical ministerial subjects that will help and encourage you in your ministry, but I felt led to share this with "BibleFood Devotional" and "The Encourager". My prayer is that it will minister to you.

Today's devotional will be more of a testimonial as June 21, 2002, I have been saved for 27 years. I was saved at a prayer meeting that my oldest brother had just started attending (that was a miracle in itself). Although this meeting was quite different than what I was used to, God met me there with the abundance of His LOVE, and I knew that the God I had hated all my life LOVED me ("…..we love Him because He first loved us - 1 John 4:19). I just couldn't resist His LOVE (John 3:16) and DRAWING me to Him. ("No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him…." - John 6:44) So I accepted Jesus as my LORD and Savior (June 21, 1975) and began my first 25 years of serving Jesus. Although not all people have the same level of intensity when they get saved (and intensity means little in that respect), when I got saved the grass really did seem greener, the sky bluer. Finally, Jim who had previously wanted to die, had a reason to live!

As a new Christian, I asked my parents to take me out of public high school and put me in a Catholic school, thinking that it would be the place for me. But in just one month, I felt that I really wanted to be back in public school with all my unsaved friends who were into drugs, alcohol, etc. I thank God that I was able to allow my love for Jesus to keep me from falling back into the ways of my unsaved friends. I still spent some time with them, except when they did the drugs, alcohol, etc.; but most of my spare time was spent reading my Bible.

By the time I was 16 years old, only a few months later, I had left the prayer group where I was saved because of lack of discipling and spiritual problems within the group.

From there I went to a small church group I learned about from a neighbor. This group had TWO leaders equal in authority (which I now see can be a problem). I attended this group for awhile until one day one of the leaders gave a strange and short speech, grabbed his wife's hand, and left! I had just experienced something I didn't even know existed - a church split! From that time on, God has led me to various denominational and non-denominational churches. He has led me to see various types of churches, which I believe has helped me to minister to those different backgrounds.

On the personal side, my life wasn't a bed of roses and I don't believe God meant it to be. In over 25 years I have seen and experienced religious deception through false teachers and false, ungodly manifestations. (Beware of manifestations that are unscriptural and magnify you, another person, or a group.) But God in His mercy, and my desire for truth, got me out of those messes.

Recently, I have felt led to tell the pastor I had in my late teens (in person and in an E-mail), that I was sorry for some of the stuff I may have put him through my pride of thinking I knew so much when I really knew so little. I have also thanked him for staying faithful to the Word of God over the years and not being drawn away by the many winds of doctrine out there. ("That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive." - Ephesians 4:14)

Also, in the past 25 years I have seen my family experience breakdowns (some ending in divorce). Also, close relatives die, including my mom who went to be with the LORD in her 50's with cancer. I have experienced backsliding (falling away from Jesus) to the extent where I was doing stuff I knew was wrong and sinful. But, again, God faithfully brought me out of those times into His loving arms.

I have had my battles with finances, depression, insomnia, etc., In some areas the victory is 100% manifested; but in other areas, I'm still trusting the LORD.

The bottom line is NO MATTER HOW ROUGH it gets at times, we should remember the words in the following scriptures: "….Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. - John 6:68 and "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." - Psalm 84:10

I say with GREAT JOY that MANY of my family members (almost all immediate and many extended family members) are saved and living for Christ!

I would like to close with a few things I've learned during my first 25 years as a Christian:

1. Live humbly before God.
2. I keep in mind that I don't know very much and thank God for
what I do know.
3. Live today for Christ as if it is your LAST day! I've seen it
become the last day for many people over the last 25 years.
4. Study and follow the Word of God and not experiences that
may contradict the Bible. (II Timothy 2:15)
5. We can believe in every circumstance, good or bad (and both
will happen), that God will ultimately prove to be in control of
the situation! (Romans 8:28)
6. Respect godly leadership, but NEVER follow a man!
7. The importance of being part of a local body of believers.
(Hebrews 10:25)
8. Be quick to forgive and quick to repent.

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