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I sat in church yesterday and listened to a man give his salvation testimony. He referred to his testimony as “tame”. He grew up in a good Christian home and had never “gone off the deep end“. He was your average “good kid”. Yet, he saw that he was a sinner and needed a Savior.
As I listened, I was reminded of a conversation I had recently with a dear trusted mentor and friend.
I had been playing that comparison game again of doubting my salvation based on comparing my testimony with others.
How?
My habit used to be to listen to people give these ‘earth-shattering’ testimonies of coming to Christ from the bottom of their pit, often out of a background of drinking, or drug abuse. You know the ones. We have all heard them. Ones that brought radical lifestyle changes.
When I would listen I would compare and think… “I haven’t had anything that huge happen to me, did that mean I wasn’t saved.” But I know I am.
My friend reminded me of children who have grown up in Christian homes who have never delved into things such as drinking, or drug abuse, or the like. They don’t necessarily have these radical testimonies. BUT they did come to a point of seeing their sin before God and their need for salvation and trusted Christ.
I need to instead give thanks that God protected me from having those kinds of scars.
I am grateful that He got my attention, that I saw my need for salvation and trusted Christ, without having to go through such trials.
BUT- we do all have RADICAL testimonies.
Simply the fact that we saw ourselves walking in darkness, having been born into sin, that none of us are sinless and we all need a Savior and (here is the radical part) GOD reached down and saved us.
As pastor friend of mine put it, “God shrunk himself down into a human womb to give us life.”
That is radical.
That God would save any of us is radical.
1429. the smell of coffee brewing
1430. listening to it gurgle in the pot as it brews
1431. clean laundry, folded, neatly stacked
1432. …the smell of bleach lingering on those freshly laundered clothes
1433. our Christmas tree, decorated and lighting up the room
1434. R. H. such a blessing to my daughter
1435. sunshine
1436. fifteen pounds: gone
1437. polished fingernails
1438. fog
1439. not being recognized
1440. relief of an unnecessary load put down
1441. readily available medicine
1442. new dishes
1443. her watching my face as I read to her
1444. a mini sermonette from an unexpected place
1445. the word “shrunk”
This post is Part 2 of THE COMPARISON GAME SERIES: Part 1 is HERE. Part 3 is HERE.
