Dana's Christian Journey

musings of a thankful cancer survivor

Author: Dana

  • faith and experience

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    Dana

    Hello again, my name is Lewis. In the midst of difficulty, I have found Jesus… or maybe, Jesus has found me. Good can come from bad… I say this because I really don’t think I would have pursued God had life not changed so dramatically. Now I am consumed with Him… and I’m asking: What does He expect from me?

    Reading His Word, it looks like God has accomplished everything through His Son Jesus Christ and now He asks us to live by faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God…” seems pretty clear, but what is faith? The Bible says: “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” I think God wants us to be confident in His love and certain that He is with us.

    It is tempting to try to figure things out before believing. In the case of Thomas, Jesus said, “Reach out your hand and put it in My side.” Then He said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” That is us. That is me.

    It must work like this: God reveals His truth; I choose to believe (or not); then experience follows. Here’s an example from my brief journey:

    The Bible says: “We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin… Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him… In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (see Romans 6)

    While I don’t quite understand how I died when Christ died, by faith I am believing Jesus took my sin and my ‘old self’ to the cross with Him. And when He rose on Sunday morning, He included Me in His resurrection. Because He lives, I live… in Him, as a new creation… no longer a slave to sin.

    So here’s my experience: I am a new man. Before Christ, I was a slave to sin, addicted to bad habits I could never conquer. Now I am free. This is a miracle brought about by one event: Jesus Christ came into my life. ‘I once was lost, but now I’m found… I was blind, but now I see.’ I am praising God for His grace and I am giving Him all the credit for saving me. If He rescued me, He can rescue anyone.

    I must now tell my friends and family that God is real and that He loves us. I must share this new life I have found in Jesus. “Lord, let me shine Your light! Please help others find You too.”

    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God! God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21

    “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

  • peace and love

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    Dana

    Hello, my name is Lewis and it has been one week since I surrendered my life to Christ. I said: “Lord, You have given Your life to save me… thank You. I don’t understand everything, but I am offering myself to You and trusting You completely… even in this horrible pandemic. Take my life and do with me as You please.”

    I feel as if I am a new man. My outlook, my attitude, and my whole mindset have changed. A good friend always told me I needed to seek the true meaning of life… and I am beginning to understand. With so much free time during our mandated confinement, I have decided to read the Bible. My friends and family would really laugh if they saw me now.

    I now possess a peace I have never experienced. This peace is more powerful than any fear. In trying to understand it, I’ve concluded much stems from this truth: God loves me. The Bible says He has known me before I was even born and that He longs for me to know Him.

    Jesus said: “Now this is eternal life: that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Granted, it has only been a week, but knowing God changes everything! God is love and He loves me despite my past, despite my wrongdoings, despite my years living opposed to Him. He has provided forgiveness and hope and a future. He is the Source of peace.

    My friend says this peace is supernatural… and I guess it is… but isn’t it also a natural product of the Father’s love? Do we not witness peace in the faces of our sleeping children? In a loving, stable home with parents present, a child need not worry. Peace flows from love.

    I am no expert… but my life has changed. Amidst the troubles, peace has come into my heart and into my home. Will it exist if I experience loss? Will it remain if I get sick or a family member gets sick? I can’t yet speak from experience, but my heart tells me sorrow still exists in our world and difficulties do not disappear… but the love of God cannot be changed. If He is the Author of peace, then peace is always possible. “With God, all things are possible.”.

    “I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:10-12

    “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

    “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” I John 4:16

  • decision

    —

    Dana

    “Hello, my name is Seba. I lived in the days of Noah and I want to share my tragic story. We watched the old man and his family build the huge boat and thought he had lost his mind. For years and years Noah was the laughing stock of the entire region.

    “Something, though, troubled me deep down. When Noah spoke of turning from sin and looking to God, I knew he was speaking truth. Everyone admitted our culture was wicked… but who wanted to change? I actually seriously talked to my wife about joining Noah, but she did not want to lose all our friends.

    “When the animals started walking up the ramp into the ark, I once again knew in my heart that Noah’s preaching was true. I came so close to repenting and asking God to forgive me… but, again, I failed to act. When the door shut and the rain began… it was too late.”

    “Hello, my name is Timon. I lived in the days of Peter and heard him speak on the Day of Pentecost, shortly after the man named Jesus had been crucified. The fisherman spoke with passion and power and though some said he was drunk, I knew he was not. When he proclaimed Jesus to be Messiah, my heart sensed it was true… but I suppressed the thought.

    “Even as thousands responded to Peter’s message and were baptized in the name of the Nazarene, I resisted the urge to join them. I was a young man with a young wife and infant son. I had witnessed the way our elders disdained the followers of Jesus and did not want my family to be targeted.

    “Shortly after, it looked like I had made the right decision. Followers of Jesus were persecuted mercilessly. Most fled Jerusalem and scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. I thought: ‘Whew… if I had responded to Peter’s invitation on Pentecost, we too would be fleeing.’ Little did I know what was to come.

    “My wife of forty years, my children, and my grandchildren were my pride and joy. When the Romans surrounded the Holy City, I knew we were doomed. How I wished I had chosen differently on the day I heard the truth.”

    “Hello, my name is Lewis. I am also living in unprecedented times… but I do not want to be like Seba and Timon. Of course, it would be easy to go their same route and ignore God. Confined to our houses, it is tempting to watch the news constantly with only one consuming question: ‘When are things going to get back to normal?’

    “But a friend of mine challenged my thinking. He says sin is far more deadly than any virus. I first thought: ‘Please… don’t use this crisis as an excuse to push your religion,’ but deep down, I know my friend tells the truth. I have always thought there must be a God, but now I am determined to seek Him.

    “My friend says he is not promoting a religion… but a Person. He says Jesus is really who He says He is… the Son of God. So I have been reading the Bible… about a Creator who has made a way to restore sinful mankind back to Him. The One named Jesus is the main message of the Book… He is the Good News. Jesus desires all to know Him… and His Father… and the Holy Spirit.

    “So I have decided to follow Jesus Christ. I am calling on His Name and asking Him to take over my life. I believe in my heart He died for us all and then rose from the dead. I am confessing Jesus as Lord and I am planning to do everything He tells me. We’ll see what happens next…”

    “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3:14

  • absolutely

    —

    Dana

    A long, long time ago, an imperfect man was given strange instructions from God. Noah started building an ark long before the floods came. People probably made fun of him… but Noah and his family kept working. Noah also warned others. Peter called him a ‘preacher of righteousness,’ and while we have no record of his exact words or conversations, perhaps a skeptic once asked: “So Noah, if the world as we know it is one day going to end, is there any hope?”

    Noah surely would have replied: “Absolutely! Turn from your wicked ways and get right with God! When destruction comes, there will be only one safe place… and you are welcome to join my family. But only if you believe and repent and come…”

    No one repented. After God shut the door of the ark, it was too late to enter the safe place. The floods came and only eight people and the animals survived.

    A long time ago, an imperfect man was given a message to preach in Jerusalem. People made fun of him and some accused him of being drunk. Much of his Pentecost message is recorded in Acts 2. He recounted history, quoted prophecy, and proclaimed the Messiah had come. The proof his message was true, Peter claimed, was that Jesus was no longer in the tomb. King David died, but his bones were still in the grave. Because of love, Jesus died on a Roman cross and was buried. But He rose from the dead on the third day and later, after being seen by many witnesses, ascended to join His Father.

    The people heard and many were convicted. They cried: “What shall we do?” Peter answered: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:37-39)

    Perhaps Peter sometimes talked about Jesus’ prediction of the future destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. The Romans fulfilled the prophecy forty years later in 70 AD as Titus surrounded the city three days before Passover. Jerusalem was destroyed and a million Jews were slaughtered. If someone had heard such grim news, he might have asked: “Is there any hope?”

    The apostle surely would have answered: “Absolutely! The hope is the same Person I’ve been proclaiming! Jesus offers salvation and everything we need to live boldly in a dangerous world. He is the only safe place and the ones who overcome will be those who abide in Him. Put your faith in Jesus! He is the Way and the Truth and the Life.”

    Now a fearful world asks: “Is there any hope?” Jesus answers: “Absolutely! All hope is in Me! Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Come to Me, all who are paralyzed with fear. Turn from wrong and come to Me! I have already paid the price for your sin. Redemption has been accomplished… but you must receive it. Forgiveness is only found in Me. Repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit, trust Me, trust My Father, receive My life and help others find God. I am the Way… no one comes to the Father except through Me. My Father loved the world so much He sent Me to save it. Hear my invitation and come!”

    “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

    “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:7

    Happy Easter!

  • reasons

    —

    Dana

    It is not good to compare ourselves with others, but it is wise to learn from others. Paul wrote: “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” (I Cor 11:1) It is interesting to examine reasons for words and actions. Of course, God alone knows hearts… and what He has accomplished in hearts.

    For example, Peter gave the Good Confession when Jesus asked what people were saying about Him: “Who do you say I am?” “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus blessed Peter… but He knew the reason for his friend’s perfect answer: “This was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.” (see Matt 16:13-20) In other words: “Right answer, Peter! But don’t take credit for it…”

    Mary poured out the precious content of her alabaster jar despite the criticism of other believers in the room. Why did she do this? Perhaps Mary was so grateful her brother Lazarus had been raised from the dead that she was willing to offer her most treasured possession. Or perhaps God had revealed the true worth of His Son to Mary because she had once chosen simply to sit at the Master’s feet. (see Luke 10:38-42) Jesus gave another reason for Mary’s extravagant action: “Leave her alone… It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.”(John 12:7)

    Sometimes the best examples to follow are those who humbly choose simply to abide in Christ… with no fanfare. Such disciples tend to have an ever-increasing appreciation of God’s amazing work and a willingness to ‘become nothing’ so Jesus can become ‘everything.’ Paul knew he had not arrived (see Phil 3:12-14), but he gave the reason for living the way he did: “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) In other words: Jesus is the Reason.

    One day God will honor His children who aimed to listen to the Master’s voice and follow Him. They will be caught off guard by the praise of the King: “But Lord, when did we do this? We only did what You led us to do. Any reason for good in our lives on earth came directly from You. We did not realize when we loved a homeless person, or visited a guy in prison, or took care of a sick friend, or helped feed the hungry or cared for the orphan or served the widow… we were actually serving You. Jesus, You are our Reason… and You deserve all the glory.”

    “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me… Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.” (Matt 25:34-40)

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