What was life like before you met Jesus?
Before I met Jesus, I was self-centered, arrogant, boastful, and a person who considered sin just a three-letter word. I was not living a true Christian life even though I would profess to others if asked that I was a Christian. I would often make decisions based on the smaller picture rather than considering God's plan and what my life could be through obedience and faith in Christ. My faith was lacking, and I did not put in a lot of effort to truly learn who God was. I went to bible church when I was younger but found myself not getting any true meaning out of the scripture. I was also lacking a leader that I could dedicate myself to and talk with in good times and bad. My solutions to this lack of faith and leadership were focusing on sports, school, and my professional career. I believed that if I were a good student who had a wonderful job, money, and all that comes with it, my life would feel fulfilled. However, after achieving most of those goals, I realized that I still had something missing in my life...
How did you meet Jesus?
For most of my life, I felt like a sheep wandering around, not knowing what direction to go in or what my true calling was. I focused on school and work to give me some sense of feeling that I was on a path in life that would lead me in the right direction. However, on this path, I still questioned if it was all worth it and if my hard work and dedication would lead me to something better. Then I met my wife in 2020, and we were married in 2023. Shortly after being married, we had a conversation about faith and how we would raise our future kids through faith and the belief in our Lord Jesus Christ. We both agreed that we wanted to base our marriage on the foundation of Christ and raise our future kids to be mature disciples. To get engaged and learn more about God, we searched for a church in Cedar Rapids, IA, and found Veritas. The first church service we attended just so happened to be a baptism service. I attended this service with my wife, my mother, and my father. It was an extremely emotional event and was the day that I believe Jesus chose me and I decided to commit myself to be a mature disciple. Since that day, my wife and I have not missed a service and have attended Gospel 101, Starting Point, Launch Point, and have now chosen to be baptized in front of our entire church community and family. A Bible verse that comes to mind that we talked about in Gospel 101 that gives me trust in Christ is Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
After being saved by Jesus, what is your life like now?
Since being saved by Jesus my life has looked much different. Examples include reading my Bible more, wanting to be more involved in my community, feeling more at peace with my God, and questioning myself less about what I should or should not be doing. The last one is the most important to me because through Scripture and listening to our pastors at Sunday services, I am constantly trying to be a better man for myself and my wife. I have a role in my family, and I know through faith in Christ that I am the person that I want to be. Following Jesus and his word keeps me on the right path that will lead me to eternity. I have committed myself to our LORD and Savior and want to continue walking with Jesus after my death. I know I will have eternal life according to Revelations 22:3-5 “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”