I used to love to rodeo & team rope and all that comes with that scene. I would spend a lot of time with my buddies at these events and drinking more than a few drinks. All this time I was still going to church most Sundays of course unless I had a rodeo or team roping to go to. You see, I thought I was saved because I went to church and that’s all I needed to do. Like everyone told me I had to do. Just believe in Jesus. I did believe in Jesus from a child. There was just no change in my life.
I would like to share a couple of scriptures that helped me realize I was not truly saved . John 3:3
Jesus says, I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,you can not see the Kingdom of God. Another verse in 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, This means that anyone who belongs to Christ, he is a NEW creation. The OLD has passed away; Behold, the NEW has come! As I continued to ignore God and put him on my dusty shelf and take him off only when I was desperate. My family life was struggling and seemed as nothing was going as I planned. All of a sudden BOOM, I suffered a very bad neck injury and my rodeo and roping life, which I loved was taken away from me. I had spent so much time and money on this hobby of mine. What was I going to do now? The thing in life that I loved was gone. I questioned God on why did you do this to me and what am I going to do now? That is when God said live your life for me and not yourself. Enjoy your wife and children while you have them. Serve me and not your self. Make me your only God and not your hobbies or anything else. My hobbies had become my God and I had not really even noticed it. Thinking about it now I can say that is pretty much all I thought and cared about. I was not serving God. In Matthew 20:28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many.
After I picked myself up by my boot straps and dusted off I called out to God to forgive me of my sins and asked him to come into my life and make me a new creation. I wanted to be pleasing to him. After this moment I was baptized and dedicated my life to my God and his purpose. I started serving in church,teaching Sunday school and holding bible studies. Still with all of this I still felt empty like maybe he was asking me to go a little bit further. Me and my wife got a life changing opportunity because God works in these ways. We traveled to Haiti on a mission trip and God opened both our eyes to the true church. We were in a third world country and that is where we saw Jesus face to face through his people. These people that were there had nothing but yet had everything. They had Jesus! They walked through rocky dirt roads for miles just to go to church some had no shoes. They lived in mud huts and had very little food but yet they loved and obeyed God. Being a Christian could actually get them killed here. They still praised God everyday all day for the little they had. Seeing this really changed us
After we returned to the US I felt like I was being called into the ministry. I said Lord we are busy people we own business. He said, serve me. I enrolled in an online college for ministry and we really started digging into the word of God everyday. Now several years later our lives are not without trials because Jesus said we would, but I am blessed and feel honored to be in the ministry. We attend a cowboy church where my best friend and mentor that God used to pray for me Pastor Robert has given me the opportunity to bring sermons and preach.
In closing I would like to say this
1 Corinthians 6:9 says Don’t fool yourself if your on this list you will not make it to Heaven. Sadly my name was written on this list, but praise God through repentance and the blood of Jesus my sins have been washed away and now my name is in the Lamb’s book of life. If you have not fully surrendered your life over to Jesus please do so today. Tomorrow is not promised.