2007-Sep-10
On my heart this morning..........
Yesterday was good at church. My little Sunday school class just blesses my heart all the time. Yesterday we were learning a verse that hangs on a plaque coming into our building that says, "Praise the Lord, His mercy endureth forever !" and they wanted to follow another one we have hanging as you enter into our sanctuary, that says, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise: ". So what did we do, as a class (ages 4-8) when it was time to start services, we all stood together at the doors and shouted "Praise the Lord, for His mercy endureth forever !" Tears came to my eyes and my heart was full to see and hear these young ones, wanting to praise God, for as much as they know how. During the morning services, as different men would be praying, they thanked God for a place for us to be able to raise our children, thanking God and praising His name. And even though at their ages, they may not understand the meaning, they know that ".....His mercy endureth forever!"
I am blessed that God has chosen me, to be at this point and time, in a church with a a man of God, with a heart for God and that my future is sure, because He has forgiven me. I was just going about my business over 11 years ago, when God plucked me out of the life I was living and sent my husband and me to this church. My life has never been the same. I grew up in a Southern Baptist church my whole life. I never knew anything else but church, God, sin, and the law. But to be put in a church, where the truth is being preached, and to hear that you can be forgiven, and not live in fear and doubt. I never had that surety of being completely forgiven of my sins until that day, that I admitted to God that I was sinner, had always been a sinner and unless He did something, I would always be one. For salvation is of the Lord, not of mans works, lest anyone should boast. It is a work of God, not of man. When I was younger, it was I who asked Jesus into my heart. Salvation is not up to man. We can not do it. It is a work of God. And only through repentance and belief in God, can you truly be saved. So many people out there are being misled, they are told to repeat a prayer and be saved. Let me tell you, when I was at the end of myself, and saw who I really was, the wickedness of my heart, I did not need ANYBODY, whispering in my ear, something to pray, to be saved. I started crying out to God, pleading my case to HIM, and agreeing, that I was not worthy of His grace and if He did not do another thing for me, I had already lived a blessed life and could not ask for any more. It was then, that I gave up, I quit my works to be right with God, that He saved me.
I am not sure why I have shared this, but I must follow what I fell lead from the Spirit of God. I do not know if this is for anyone here on our list or not. It is not for me to know. But if anyone would like to talk more on this, or hear more of my testimony of how God saved me, just let me know, I love to share it with anyone who will listen. Who knows, it may be for me this morning, that I shared this. Maybe I needed to rehearse in my heart what the Lord did for me. It is good to think on these things and ponder. The scriptures state to "examine yourself and see if you be in the faith....". Again, I am so thankful that the Lord loved me enough, to have me examine myself and see that my earlier salvation experience was not true salvation but a drawing of my heart to come unto to Him. Once He starts a good work, He will finish.
Thank you for reading this and allowing me to share my testimony of God's work in my life.
... Pat ...
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2007-Sep-15 - Hello!
 Posted by solodeogloria
I found your blog today and have very much enjoyed reading here! I love this post about your church. Thank you so much for sharing your testimony....your's is a lot like my own and it blessed me to read it. I teach the 6,7,8 year olds at my church too! And, like you, our oldest daughter is a college student. Actually, she's doing her first year through Master's Commission.
Blessings to you!
Laurie
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