Remembering our First Love!

It has often puzzled me to see the commitment some woman put into scrap booking. I am not for one second belittling their efforts but rather want to draw a parallel from it, a positive one at that! Even the Lord himself reminds us not to get lost within ourselves that we happen to overlook our first love. “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4)

We must go back with our memories and remember events like the day we were saved; it will keep us mindful of His work and not our accomplishments, if we have any achievements we might want to claim as our own. It will always be about what He has done and not about us; we must call to memory all His accomplishment on Calvary!

The most enlightened day of my life I can equivocally say was the day my eyes were opened and I cried out, “I can see”. When I fell in love with my Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ, what a day that was, it was the year 1987, I had just returned from a travelling working holiday abroad, as a young man with the world as my ouster, or so I wanted to believe. I was 21 years old and was going to get my fill from life, whatever I could get my hands on I would be claiming, the lust of my flesh would be satisfied, that is what motivated me as a young man and I was no different to many other young men around me. We were all blinded by sin and the decoys of life that ensnared us with such ease. Yet the process that began to unfold in my life near the end of my working holiday the lust of life and its doors began to shut in my face. I no longer found it going my way but rather life began to travel in the opposite direction, it made no sense at the time! My life was no longer about me and my desires, but a seed had begun to germinate in the soil on my mind as it was now being prepared for what was to come back in South Africa. Doors, and I mean sin and their opportunities began to no longer act in my favour as I sought out my next fix or party. The mercy of God begun to tap into my life, it had nothing to do will my own will, yes I did constantly question everything around me, but it is obvious I did not generate that initial thought, God in His mercy placed the seed in my mind to seek out answers. And what did happen along the way with the decoys of life which had previously robbed me of such deliberation, were no longer as freely available as they once were, nothing had changed with my surroundings although everyone else seemed oblivious to what was happening to me and how could they know as this was now my journey. God the great Jehovah had now begun in the process of time to prepare me for this great gospel message, that Jesus Saves! He also gives sight to those who are blind, I was so blind at the time that I believed wine, woman and song was where it was at! But for the grace of God in my life I would without question still hold to that life style. During this time in my life and for many years afterwards I did not really understand salvation and how it works, but now I have a much clearer picture on what happens and how. “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4-6)

It is important to get this, to understand it, as I believe it will free us up to serve Him with less confusing moments in our lives. Read the account of Samson and you will see that He never doubted his calling from God, yes he may have toyed with it at times, and yes he paid a price for his disobedience as many have, the philistines blinded him, but he never gave up hope, even without his sight his hair began to grow, we can learn a lot from this man, I have! You see the case in point was about God’s will and not man’s will. The enemy seeks to destroy all those involved with the building of God’s kingdom. He used a woman to bring Samson to his knees a man of great renown was no longer a hero amongst his people and the enemy but rather the joke of the hour! If it was about men and their abilities alone as men no one would be standing today. Reference is made of Noah, Job and Daniel as upright men as they have outshined many in faith and with their obedience and were so noticed by God, yet without Christ they too would be found wanting.

Firstly God is love, so in love He places a call on individuals throughout the world and amongst every tribe and nations He elects those whom He will save, and this He did prior to creation. In others words He makes a list of the sons prior to creation and through the process of time men and woman whom He has elected will be welcome in to His family and the means in which He does it is through adoption. No different to a family adopting an orphan. The orphan has no choice in the matter; it is up to the adopting parents to welcome the child into their family. I once thought that I chose God, but I was seriously mistaken. I heard a man preach and I did raise my hand acknowledging that this Gospel message was for me, or so I thought! Where it becomes confusing is that we must choose, and we do! Firstly what I didn’t understand is that God is the One who opens our eyes and then only do we see the answer to life in the person of Jesus Christ. “He predestined us” without that act of mercy we would never be able to respond to the gospel, there are many that respond to the “Social Gospel”, but that is not true salvation. That is more of a fad; try it for a season and maybe you will like it and if you don’t move on to something else. A man-centred message but it has nothing to do with the will of God within the realm of His adoption plans. Once we understand that God has willed us to be saved and conformed into the image of His beloved Son, then I suppose it will be much harder for us to doubt our salvation; “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

This thought process then alleviates any pressure we may place upon ourselves to make it to heaven. Yes, of course we have a responsibility to please our Father and abide within the rules of his house, which goes without saying. But now that I know I belong to His household and am entitled to His blessings the guess work of salvation is now removed. It frees me to serve him!

In 1987 I had heard a man preach on the saving grace of our great Redeemer, it was a simple message, but I cannot remember a word from his sermon. Although I felt the need to respond to his alter call by raising my hand, I expected more out of the experience, I anticipated seeing lightning bolts and hearing thunder roar throughout the room or at least that is what I had hoped for. It never happened, and it left me feeling confused. I remember it was as if I had no control over my arm, let me explain, I remember being absorbed by every word that my ears now heard, this type of experience was very foreign to me as I never paid much attention to teachers teaching, I was always wanting to play on a sports field and not be taught history and the like. My mind would wonder in the classroom, but now wondering was far from my mind, I was plugged in to this burly man as he spoke with authority and what he had to say was hypnotic, or so it seemed. After the service I walked up to him, looked him in the eye and said “you have just confused me, I do not know what I have just done”. For a couple of days my decision confused me and I was restless. Those around me kept reassuring me that I was now saved, but I was having none of it! Until one day in the lounge and alone on my knees I think, I prayed a prayer that went something like this, “I know that Jesus paid the price for my sin and I believe that,” it was then I saw lightning flash before my face and heard thunder crack as my heart was filled with emotion, something I had never before experienced as the tears ran down my cheeks and I cried, “I can see!” It was so wonderfully real that I had an urgency to tell everyone what the answer to life was, it was the Lord Jesus and His finished work on Calvary that people had to embrace and if they did they too would see!

You tell me how then I chose God, did I conjure up the faith within myself to manufacture an understanding to something I could not understand? That would be impossible.

I hope this will help all those who struggle to understand whether or not they have been called or not. If you ask the question then I suggest that God has placed the thought there, so turn to Him cry out to Him and then you will see! I will leave you with this thought that the Apostle Paul penned in the book of Romans; “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Signing off

Tyrone