For He is Lord

The biggest decision in a person’s life is that of choosing to make Jesus their Savior. Acknowledging the fact, He sacrificed His life in order for others to live changes a person’s whole complexion of their life. I made that decision at the age of nine. For the rest of my life, I believed I would go to heaven when I died. Maybe that was the reason I was always wanting to die, yet, when faced in life or death situations I would quickly beg to live. It wasn’t until I was 30 I learned that every area of my life Jesus covered on the cross.

[Isa 53:3-6 NASB] 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

There is a second step after making Jesus Savior, it is making Him Lord. What a shock to learn Jesus cared about every area of our lives. His benefits didn’t start when we died, but they began at that moment. Salvation is not “one size fits all” thing, but a personal, one on one, individualized relationship. What a shock to find out He cared about who I married, where I lived, what I did. I discovered I could sing “Jesus

loves me this I know.” I could know it because the Bible tells me so, and He is there residing in me.

At the time this revelation came to me my relationship with my earthly father was strained. Like a “jumper” electrical connection, Jesus became “my father” in my life. He filled that position with such gentle love and patience. One evening on my way to a home Bible study, I was feeling sad. I said “Father, I wish I could climb up on your lap and just stay there for a while.” In an instant there was a presence in my car. I literally felt His loving arms around me for the rest of the drive. I didn’t want to leave my car and the warmth of His lap. I went into the house and joined the others for the teaching. I could still feel His presence. When Charles, our Bible teacher closed his Bible, he looked at me and said, “What has happened to you?” I said, “What!!?” He said “you have a glow about you.” I told him what happened in the car on the way to Bible study. He said it shows. That experience happened in 1978, but I’ve never forgotten it. Now I can sing “Jesus Loves Me” and know, not just because the Bible tells me so, but because He shows me every day. Our relationship, which is what it is, not a “religion” is a 24/7/365 experience. When you need to know He’s there, call Him. Have a question, ask Him, then turn your ear to hear Him. If you are a child of God, you don’t have to wander through life groping like a blind person. Reach out to Him and all He has provided for you and me.

Sandy Peffer