A Testimony

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: "...you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." Paul recognized that while God had used him to carry the Good News to those human hearts, the transformation of those hearts was ultimately only His doing: "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. "

Yesterday, I heard a young man share his testimony. It is posted below with his permission. God has graciously allowed us at Aim Right to be a participant in His work in this young man's life. The imprint of the Spirit of God is on the tablet of his heart.


In his words:

In my past, as I started to grow and live life, I didn't know my purpose in life. I grew up with my mom and my brother since my dad passed away when I was 4. As tough as it could be, I had to keep moving on with life. I didn't know anything about God at that point which means I didn't also know about His amazing love. Just as I kept growing, I started realizing how tough life was without a father, so I would cry my eyes out at night, yelling and screaming why I had to lose my father at such a very young age.

Then in 5th grade, my whole life changed, as it was my first time to come to Rec Center here at Aim Right. I didn't know it was a Christian church until I was invited to Kids Klub, where I would start to learn more about God. I learned that God sent His one and only Son to come and die for our sins by being crucified, that He carried the cross for our sins. All our sins were laid on Him. Not only that, but so many good verses and stories were said to help all the kids and me understand more of what the whole lesson was about.

As years passed, it was time for me to move on and start going to Teen Night, a Friday where Darrell would always speak about God and let us see who God was. Just as I entered my teen years, I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart at age 13. I didn't know how life as a Christian was actually supposed to be lived. I knew who God was, but I thought that being a Christian, you had to follow certain rules. I didn't think I could do it so I kept doubting myself and asking myself if I was a Christian. My mind knew how amazing God was, but my heart didn't know if I was good enough.

Now as I stand here in the present at age 16, a Christian and without a father, I see that this is not my life. I see that this is the life God has given me to live. I have now seen that being a Christian doesn't mean that you have to follow rules, that you have to be perfect and try to impress other people, because my identity is found in Christ. I know I will never be perfect and never in eternity be good enough. What I do know is that Christ died for me, that He forgives me, and most of all that nothing in all creation will ever separate me from His love.

I know I'm a sinful man and that I'm not worthy of God, but because He loves me, He sent His Son to die for us all. So, I ask myself, "Why would He wanna send His Son to die for us? Why does He love me when I'm as tiny as an ant? Am I really that much worth it?" And the one word that comes to my mind is love. His love for us all who believe in Him and have accepted Him into our lives. All I can say is that God has, will, and will always be there for me!

His love for me will never end. My life will end soon as years go by, but my love for God will never end, because as precious as life is, God is worth more than life itself. I'm proud to be coming here to Aim Right. I love my friends here, all the fun I have with them, and the amazing memories. Most of all, I am so proud to have God in my life, leading me in His path to where soon I would enter enter His kingdom in heaven and bow down before Him!

Even in the future, I will worship and adore God forevermore. I will never want Him to let me go, and I know He never will. As small as I could be, His love for me will never end. I didn't really know who God was back then, and even now I don't know who He is because I will never know who He is. I will just keep living life for Him and keep praying to just build that connection with God. Although I will stumble and fall, my Father will pick me up and forgive. Why? Because he loves me!

I know I'm not perfect, and I never will be. My life is all in God's hands. Now I just see that the main difference between my past and my future is that Jesus is now in my life!