Preparing myself

As you may or may not know, I've been preparing myself to become a volunteer Young Life leader. I asked over and over for a peace and a clear understanding that it was what I was supposed to do. If you've read my blog, you'll see where I feel I got that peace and understanding. I still have the Volunteer Packet to turn in, and my first "club night" is the Monday to check it out. I have been preparing myself for when I am 'official' by reading my bible and thinking about myself as a student and questions I had then, and thought that I would start with my son, who is only 8 (will be 9 soon though!) and see what he thought and what questions he had. (He was saved in 2006.)

I asked him, "What happens when someone dies?" His response was, "I don't know, they have to tell God about all of their sins," (he was speaking about standing before God on Judgement day). I said, "Ok, well, what about here on Earth? Do we have to DO anything to go to heaven?" He drew me a picture and said, "I kinda always thought it was like this:"
He said, "If you do a good thing you can step one step closer to God and a bad thing puts you one step closer to Satan."

I asked him who told him this; where he had heard it or seen it drawn like that. He said that's just what he always thought (mind you he accepted Christ already) and that's what he thinks pretty much anyone would believe.

My heart was heavy knowing that he had been saved, and knew how to tell someone about it (because at that time he did, he knew how to explain it even better than me), but now a couple of years later he had done what most of the world believe, and what some Christians (meaning those that have accepted Christ), but since the time of their salvation have fallen into the world, have done.

SO I drew him a new picture:

I told him that he was separate from God because we were all born into sin and punishment for that was to be separate from him, thereby spending eternity in Hell.

His face looked scared! He said, "But I try to be good! I don't want to sin!"

I told him, I know! Most of the world doesn't mean too. But because we are imperfect, we still do. He said, "but even if we don't mean too, we will still not get to be with God?"

I put it another way. I was pulled over the other day and got a ticket. It was for an expired inspection. I didn't mean to not get my car inspected, I had completely forgotten about it - and had ignored doing what I was supposed to do, even though I didn't mean to do wrong. I had to pay a fine of $102 at the courts. I told him it would be like me going to the judge and saying, I didn't mean too! I promise, I just got it inspected now, here's the proof! I'm sorry, can't you just ignore the fine! But I had neglected to get it done (for FIVE months) and my fine was due.

It would be just like if a stranger came into the court and said, "Judge, I love her. I've been waiting for her to know me since before she was born, I care for her and I will pay her fine and take her punishment."

I went back to the picture I drew. I put a bridge across between the two cliffs from Zach to God and I said, son, because you have already accepted Jesus, meaning that you believe that he died on the cross for your sins and took your punishment away, became your substitute, you can cross and be with God in Heaven (and I drew the vertical line across the bridge, making a cross, representing Jesus dying on the cross for our sins).

Romans 3:22 (NLT) explains it better:

"We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

I asked him if he understood. He said, but what if I sin again, even if I don't mean too? I told him that because his debt has been paid, his heart has been changed, and the bible says that:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deut. 31:6

Once we have become Christians, we will always be a child of God. He will not ever leave us, or forsake us. He asks that we repent (which means more than just admit, but TURN AWAY from our sins and ask God not only to forgive us, but to help us to turn away from what we know isn't right.)

The bible also says, in John 14:21:"The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that's who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him."

He changes our heart, and waits for us to turn to him. It doesn't mean we automatically become perfect (we will never BE perfect). It doesn't mean that we will live the rest of our lives without pain, it simply means that we will live eternity with Him and during our short time on earth we can trust in Him to bring us strength and turn to Him, instead of our own understanding. Our path won't be easy, it will be narrow, but He will guide us and shed light upon our path and in the times we think it's too hard, or that we can't continue, it's then when he carries us.

So, I'm learning too. It takes getting a ticket and talking to a child to bring me back to the truth I've known but doubted.

Here's a verse to ponder today, one that as I child I memorized, one most of the world could probably recite, believers and non-believers alike. It's truth is real regardless:

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. "

And I really like the message version: (vs. 16-18)

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

It's a choice.