Last Wednesday, I had the great privilege of baptizing Alexa S. into Christ! This is the greatest decision one can make! It takes away all the filth that sin brings to our life. It is the detergent of all detergents. No stain can withstand it. No color will be evident. Quoting from Isaiah 1:18, we are “white as snow” afterwards.
It sometimes seems surreal to know that one moment you are doomed for hell and the next moment you are welcomed to heaven. How can it be? Faith is the answer. It is all about faith. Without faith, we are just plunged. With faith, we are not simply plunged, but we are “plunged…to victory”. Oh, isn’t it sweet to know that we can have this “victory” because of Him?!
Each person who has taken that “plunge of faith” knows the feeling of coming up out of the water. You now see life in a different way. The Spirit is given as your gift. You have been forgiven of filth. You don’t just have your sins taken care of, you have a clean conscience. You now do not have to worry about a “next time” you sin. The blood of Jesus has already taken care of that. You don’t have to be baptized again and again to get rid of any sins because of Jesus. Oh, how sweet it is!
Another part of sweetness comes as a result of someone else being baptized. You get to see their excitement, zeal, and thirst. They are experiencing many things for the first time. Let their excitement be something that rubs off on you to give you a renewed/heightened zeal. I always look forward to getting to be around the people who have been baptized because it gives me such a thrill to see their excitement.
Soul Quest played a part in getting Alexa ready to make this awesome decision. I received a phone call and text regarding her decision to be baptized. Events like Soul Quest can really play a pivotal role in helping people make the decision to obey the gospel. I think we should praise God for those types of events, including workshops, Bible camps, and anything like that. They give an out-of-the-ordinary look at Christianity.
The next time you see Alexa let her know how excited you are about her decision and welcome her in to the “family”! She is a neat teen who had already been talking about Jesus to her friends, before her baptism.
Baptism…how sweet it is!
Showing posts with label baptism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baptism. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Life's Actions - Your Response
Over the past two days, I have witnessed two people who have been laid to rest. One older. One a teen. One physical. One spiritual.
Some of the actions we take in life can have dramatic effects on our future. Getting married, having a baby, going to college, graduating from school(s), etc. are some examples that will have long lasting effects on us.
Some decisions in life will end in "I wish I did". You look back and think to yourself that you should have chosen a different path. Other decisions in life will end in "I'm glad I did". You look back and are pleased with choosing that path.
As you ponder this week's quote, it is not about death, but about life's choices. Here is the quote...
I decided to open up with the subject of death for a reason. Oftentimes at the end of one's life, that person will think back to their decisions. Sometimes, others will also think about the decisions they made concerning the person who died.
One of the most important decisions a person can make is to become a Christian. I am not talking about the religion/institution side of Christianity (read previous post). I am talking about the opportunity to take away all the smut and filth of your life to be able to have a home in heaven.
Maybe you don't believe in God or anything of the like. However, what if he were real? What if you got to the end of your life or the end of time and didn't make that decision and now realized you should have...think about it.
The one that was laid to rest physically, was a Christian, so that is a victory in and of itself. The one who was laid to rest spiritually, became a Christian, so that is also a victory. Her death was a death to sin, leaving it in the grave of baptism!
Both deaths can be rejoiced over. Since both became a Christian, they can say "I'm glad I did".
How do you respond to life's decisions?
Some of the actions we take in life can have dramatic effects on our future. Getting married, having a baby, going to college, graduating from school(s), etc. are some examples that will have long lasting effects on us.
Some decisions in life will end in "I wish I did". You look back and think to yourself that you should have chosen a different path. Other decisions in life will end in "I'm glad I did". You look back and are pleased with choosing that path.
As you ponder this week's quote, it is not about death, but about life's choices. Here is the quote...
The difference between whether you say, 'I wish I would have,' or 'I'm glad I did,' at the end of your life is whether or not you take DECISIVE ACTION during your life. ~ Chris Widener
I decided to open up with the subject of death for a reason. Oftentimes at the end of one's life, that person will think back to their decisions. Sometimes, others will also think about the decisions they made concerning the person who died.
One of the most important decisions a person can make is to become a Christian. I am not talking about the religion/institution side of Christianity (read previous post). I am talking about the opportunity to take away all the smut and filth of your life to be able to have a home in heaven.
Maybe you don't believe in God or anything of the like. However, what if he were real? What if you got to the end of your life or the end of time and didn't make that decision and now realized you should have...think about it.
The one that was laid to rest physically, was a Christian, so that is a victory in and of itself. The one who was laid to rest spiritually, became a Christian, so that is also a victory. Her death was a death to sin, leaving it in the grave of baptism!
Both deaths can be rejoiced over. Since both became a Christian, they can say "I'm glad I did".
How do you respond to life's decisions?
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