I didn't always know Jesus. I grew up in a home where God wasn't mentioned much. My parents had a deep respect for God, but didn't often talk about Him. As a kid I never really had much training in those things. I do remember going to church a few times as a kid, but all I remember of that was stand up, sit down, stand up, sing a song. And asking when it would be over so I could go out and play. But there was something inside me that always wondered about God.
I remember a time when a friend and I were coming back from a friends house and he asked me if I believed in God, I said, "I think so, but I'm not sure". That's where I stayed for the next few years. There were people in my life that did invite me to church, one even bought me a Bible, but these folks lives didn't quite match what the professed to believe, so I didn't see why I should give them much credence. It wasn't until I met my wife that I met Jesus.
She was raised in a Christian home, was taught from a very early age. However, like a lot of folks she dropped out of church because one reason or another. That's about the time we met. We fell in love got married and then two or three years into it all, the news exploded with the government getting crazy down in Waco Texas, surrounding the Branch Dividian compound. That coupled with God giving her dreams of His Second Coming. Picture if you will, Jesus in the sky, all the angels coming down to pick up His elect and picture yourself standing there as you are left behind for destruction while all your friends are carried off to Heaven. All that was to much for her to ignore. She felt it important to tell me about the end time events.
We started off just reading the last few chapters of a book called "The Great Controversy" by Mrs. White. After that she mentioned to me something about something in Daniel's day. I asked her "Who's Daniel?", she said , "You know, Daniel from the Bible". I said "oh cool, who's that?" She was dumbfounded at my complete ignorance of Christianity. I didn't know even one of the Bible stories. So then she set off to teach her 24 year old husband the Bible stories. She faithfully read these really awesome Bible Story Books to me a little each night. Then one night, while we were doing this, she said to me "lets pray". I said O...K... we knelt down, and she closed her eyes and began praying silently. I was on my knees but had no idea what to do. SO...... I poked her in the side, and said "What do I say?". She looked at me in disbelief, "You don't know how to pray?" I said "No". She said "ask Jesus into your heart, you know like you're talking to a friend", I said "OK". She began praying silently again and I asked Jesus into my heart and asked Him to forgive my sins and then asked Him to bless my wife. I looked up from that prayer and she was still praying. So..... I poked her in the side again, she looked up at me again and said "What", I said, "I'm done already, you're still praying, did I do it right?" She gave me a funny look, said it was fine and went back to praying. I prayed again right there. I know it all sounds really kind of stupid, but God stepped in. He changed our lives from that day forward. He called me out of the confusion that I was in and changed us both for the better.
As I began reading the Bible, I could feel God speaking to me through its pages. His evidence of His transforming power was making a marked difference in our lives, and I don't want to go back to the way things used to be. I am eternally grateful for the way He saved me, changed me, and is still changing me. Now I look forward to the day when He comes back in the clouds to take us Home. This Earth is not my home, Heaven is and one day, I KNOW, He'll make all things right. If you are reading this and feel God calling you, don't resist Him. You'll never make a better decision than the one to let Him be Lord of your life. He made you, and knows better than you do, what you need most.
Steve Bell
