Colossians 2:6. "As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:"
STARTING PLACE. It seemed normal, although not very meaningful; probably all that could be expected. There was a vague awareness of God, but He seemed irrelevant and was neglected. Until an incident took place; an event out of the ordinary; an awakening. A loved one taken; a hope long held, dashed - the normal course of life was shaken. Then some news came; a message was given; thoughts long mixed were now clarified. God had spoken; He is real after all; Christ long ago came, and He died; The just One for the unjust, paying sin's price - just so we might be saved. A choice is before us that we can't avoid - God is offering salvation by grace.
The mind is opened, the heart is moved, the truth of the Gospel is believed. Repentance takes place as we are made aware of our need; Christ is turned to and gladly received. Relief may be the first indication that faith in Christ has given light - And a calm assurance comes that brings peace; we are started on a new life. New desires emerge, we want to give thanks to God for what He has done for us. Others come to our mind and we want to tell them of the Savior we have come to trust. We have not just turned a page in the course of our old life; that was just a starting point. The Spirit of God gave new life and moved into me, and this new life He then did anoint.
Now Christ is Lord, He is the One who is supreme, life is now lived with Him in control. New desires have come and old ones have gone; all part of the saving of the soul. Each day is lived with difference aims in view; we work but with a different motivation. When we have received Christ Jesus the Lord, we were given by God our salvation. We didn't then, nor will we ever earn or deserve this great blessing God gave as a gift. The difference now is His will is our guide as the Spirit through life does us lead. All the things we do and the way we do them, has the glory of God as our aim. Whatever we do whether it's a small thing or a great; we now do it in Jesus' name.
"Father, I can easily identify the starting point sixty years ago. There have been quite a lot of decision points since then but I thank Thee for giving me guidance and showing me the direction to take at those times. I do not know that is ahead but I want to be willing to act on Thy directions now, because I still have treacherous flesh and a tendency to be independent. Guide me to the right words to speak today and tonight in the Gospel meeting. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."