Birthday Anniversaries!

Since it has now gone 11.15 p.m., I am officially a full year older! Yes, that's me reached 28 (and some months!!!) again!

Seriously, I sometimes wonder where the time goes (simple answer - it goes into, or becomes, the past!). As I look back over my life, I see so much that I wanted to do, but have never done; I see so many mistakes that I made; I see as many broken relationships as lasting ones. All in all, I could think of many reasons to be disheartened and depressed.

But then I remember - I can celebrate two birthdays! A few days before my 15th (physical) birthday anniversary, I made a conscious commitment of my life to the Lord Jesus and, in the words of John 3:3, I was born again. On that occasion, the birth was a spiritual one and I became a child of the Living God; a joint-heir with the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the wonderful outcomes of that second birth was that I received forgiveness of all of my sins - even those that I had not yet committed! I accepted that Jesus had paid the penalty for my all of my sin as He hung on the cross at Calvary; and that His shed blood atoned for my transgressions.

So, as I look back over my physical life, but remember my spiritual life, my depression is lifted, and my despondency is cheered up. On that day (Feb 9th, 1959), I moved from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light; from being under the wrath of the sinless and holy God to being under His grace; from being the recipient of righteous judgement to being the partaker of His love.

As if all of that were not enough, I also have an assurance that this life is not the end and that, for me - as for all who have similarly committed their lives to Jesus - their is a resurrection life in a dimension that I am incapable of understanding while in this mortal body. I don't know exactly what it will be like, but I know that it will be far better (see Philippians 1:23)

The only question is - Will you be there? I trust that you will - to His glory.