Matthew 9:9-13
Jesus said, “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Before I gave my heart to Jesus in 1990, I was a sinner, yet Jesus kept reaching out to me. Now in the 6th grade, I was Captain of the safety patrols at my school, and at the end of the year I was recognized as the number two safety patrol in my county. In junior high school and in high school, when we would do yearbook signings near the end of the year, a vast majority of women would write I was a “nice guy.” My primary activity in my youth was Scouting, and I earned the rank of Eagle! At Virginia Tech, I was a dedicated student and a successful Resident Advisor.
But I was a sinner not doing God’s will. I did not have true love in my heart, and I was spiritually dying. I needed the forgiveness of my sins. Jesus died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone since He loves us. Jesus was the substitutional atonement. I gave my heart to Jesus in 1990, receiving His offer of forgiveness. I am ever thankful He forgave me.
And I live daily with His true love. Jesus remains with me through the Holy Spirit, still working even 31 years later, to keep healing me and to keep making me a better person. I am such a different person than I was 31 years ago in my heart. In the midst of the countless challenges in my life, it is a blessing to remember that this Jesus lover, student of the Bible, ancient virgin, and passionate witness, was a sinner saved from spiritual death thanks to the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. And even though after all this time this Jesus lover, student of the Bible, ancient virgin, and passionate witness sometimes really messes up, I am able to keep relying on God for mercy and for help to be a better man.
Please know today that Jesus loves you!
Hunter
