I have
a confession to make.
I LOVE JESUS!
(There, now
that wasn't so hard, now was it?) I also have another confession
to make. I didn't always love Jesus.
Even when
I realized that I did love Jesus, I couldn't openly admit
it to anyone.
It's like
I had my own little corner that I kept Jesus in, and He wasn't
allowed into all parts of my life. He couldn't be with me
at the grocery store, or driving on the highway. He couldn't
be with me at lunch with my friends, or even with me at work.
He had to
stay where I kept Him . . . until I needed Him, or when it
was time to spend a moment with Him in prayer, (usually asking
for something I thought I needed at the time) or when I attended
church . . . we're supposed to have Him present there, you
know.
I am very
ashamed that I had this attitude. I didn't even know I had
this attitude for many years. I was too busy being self-righteous.
I don't know
if anyone else felt the same way I did. Church was something
I grew up with. My parents started attending church services
on a regular basis when I was very young, about 6 years of
age. We did not miss church services for anything short of
an emergency.
You could
say we were devout in our loyalties to God. I assumed that
Jesus Christ loved me, just as He loved my parents, and that
I had a relationship with him simply because I attended church,
tried to do 'right" and remembered to pray to Him often.
I am so thankful
that I now can confess truthfully that I do have a relationship
with Jesus Christ. The Lord has given me truth, opened my
blind eyes to the glory of the new covenant.
Webster's
Dictionary defines the word confess as this: to make known
or tell something. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:15,16 - let
us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit
of lips-that confess His name. And do not forget to do good
and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is
pleased." In I Timothy 6:12 Paul states: 'Fight the good fight
of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were
called when you made your good confession."
By confessing
the name of Jesus Christ, your love for Him and belief that
He is your Savior and by His grace you are saved we are called
to eternal life and have made a sacrifice in which God is
well pleased!
I know we
all want God to be well pleased with us. I know I do. So I
plan to share/confess more often with my friends, co-workers
and family the love of Jesus Christ.
Sisters,
I now let Jesus Christ into all parts of my life. I think
about him all through the day, and no longer do I feel like
I have to be on my knees to talk with Him.
He lives
within me, and is a part of me. He knows before I speak what
I am feeling and what I need. The Spirit within me understands
my yearnings.
Romans 8:26
reads: 'the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know
what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes
for us with groans that words cannot express. The Holy Spirit
groans and intercedes for us when we do not know how to express
what we are feeling.
A friend
of min has a favorite proclamation: "God loves us and there
ain't a thing we can do about it!" We should praise God for
that! I know I probably try his love often, but even in the
trying, He loves me.
There is
an old saying that 'confession is good for the soul." That
works especially well in the confessing of our Lord Jesus
Christ! He has saved our Soul!
It can't
get any better than that!
