SAVED by GRACE

In order to introduce myself, I want to share my story of how I was saved by the grace of God a little over 30 yeas ago.

"I spent the first 20 years of my life as an unbeliever, totally rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ and His claims.

I was raised with no gospel background and never heard God's message of love preached clearly until AFTER I was saved. I had heard only a few verses mentioned at my stepfather's funeral when I was 11 yrs old and once again later, when I was 17 yrs old and went to a morning church service with a friend.

I seemed to be indifferent with regard to God and had no interest in knowing Him. Nothing seemed to reach my darkened, sin-benighted soul, but the Holy Spirit continued to speak to me in circumstances in my life and in everyday happenings.

During high school, I met a girl that I became good friends with. She had been raised in a religious home and one day asked me a very pointed question that set my mind to thinking and my heart to pondering --

'Are you proud?'--

I felt indignant and answered a little defensively, "NO! Of course not!"


The Lord used that little question to eat away at my mind and my conscience until later, in the privacy of my own room and in my own heart, I was shown that I was most definitely proud.

Oh Yes! I was proud that I hadn't done this or that; that I wasn't as bad as some were and that I wouldn't do what they did, etc. What a blind heart and soul were mine as I put myself on a little higher plane than the rest of those that I came in contact with.

God, in His compassion, was trying to show me that there were sins that were apparent to all, like murder and theft and such, and there were sins that were known only to Him and the one who did them, like pride, envy, jealousy, hate.

This same friend also mentioned something commonly known as the 'rapture of the Church' and it, combined with the question of being proud, began to bother me and I began to want to know more.

I had an old Bible that my mom had been given as a young girl when she was in Sunday School but I couldn't seem to understand anything that it said.

I was working part time at a public library at that time and saw a book by Pearl S Buck called 'The Story Bible' [Old and New Testaments in simple story form] . I actually took a brown paper bag and put this large book into it to take home to read, careful that no one else would see me doing so!

I read it eagerly from cover to cover, but did not see myself within its pages. I was struck by how forgiving the Lord God was to His people, Israel. I wondered how He could forgive so many times and they seemed to do the same things over and over and over again!

After reading the New Testament, I hoped those that were sinners would trust Christ before it was too late -- but I certainly wasn't one of them!

Time went on and I went on, miserably, in my blindness and ignorance -- reading the King James version from time to time and reading any other books that I could.
Suddenly, things that seemed to be in a foreign language started to 'speak to me' and told me that I was as much a sinner as those who outrightly did obvious things.

I had offended in many points but they were known only to God and to me. Still, they were contrary to His will, and against Him. There was hate in my heart for what I was hearing and reading, and even when I tried to put it out of my mind, it kept bothering me and gnawing away at any so-called peace I may have foolishly thought I had before.

I soon was brought to the realization that I wasn't a sinner because of the things I did -- it was my very nature!! I sinned BECAUSE I was a sinner!

No matter how 'clean' I could make the 'outside', the 'inside' ~ my heart ~ was deceitful and desperately wicked. [Jeremiah 17:9-10]

I was helpless to change anything about it myself and unless I could have my sin taken care of, I would eternally have to pay the penalty myself. What an awful judgment to have hanging over one's head!! It didn't take me long to search out how I could 'escape so great a punishment', though justly deserved! [Hebrews 2:3]


'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' [Acts 16:31] "What a relief," I thought to myself. "How wonderful! I only have to believe in Him and I'll be safe!'

Well believe me, I TRIED! The trouble was, a few days would pass and then I would begin to wonder if I believed strongly enough or in the right way. I didn't have peace and I was miserable.

I came to realize that I PERSONALLY could do nothing to save myself. I had my eyes on MY believing, still thinking 'me, me, me'. Entire conversations took place within my heart and mind, between myself and God, who alone knew what I was going through.

I'm not sure how much time passed between this and a trip to a Christian book store where I went one day to browse but not very long. I stood looking at all the little plaques they had and something kept drawing my eyes back repeatedly to John 3:16, so I bought it and took it home.

As I stood by our diningroom table that afternoon removing the plastic wrap from the plaque, I read the verse --

'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.'

As I read it carefully a second time, it dawned upon my dark soul that the work was completely finished by the Lord Jesus Christ and that there was nothing I needed to add to it, and certainly nothing that I could -- HE did it all. He had fully paid the debt I owed because of my sin!!
What joy filled my soul as I rejoiced in my miniscule understanding of presently possessing eternal life and knowing that it was mine, not because I earned it, but because it was a free gift. [Ephesians 2:8].

That was May 3 1977 and I was 20 years old. The Bible was suddenly a book that wasn't in a foreign language and I could actually understand truths that were contained in it!

A few months later, I learned that I should be baptised as a public confession of my faith in Christ and what had already transpired in my soul. [Romans 6]

Many years have passed since that most important day in my life. There have been happy as well as sad times and years of extreme illness and near to death experiences. Through it all, He has strengthened and kept me, carrying me in His everlasting arms always. He has promised:

"I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" [Hebrews 13:5]

DEAR READER ~ After this life is over, have you thought about WHERE you would be for all eternity? What are YOU depending on?

If you were to die suddenly, do you know for certain that you would be in heaven?

Fortunately for us, God has not left us wondering! He has told us in His word that we can be as sure of heaven as if we were already there!

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

What can wash away my stain?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

~ Robert Lowry ~

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold
. . . But with the precious blood of Christ,
as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." [I Peter 1:19]