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"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your
heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
(Romans 10:9)
I met Neeli on a recent flight. She, along with the rest of her college track and field team, boarded the plane. When she sat down next to me, I began asking her about her team and more about her life. She was very kind and conversational, however, the fatigue began to set in from their recent track meet in Boston, and she quickly fell asleep. When the airline stewardess came by to give snacks and a drink, I restarted the conversation, and asked her if she was from Texas. She smiled and answered that she was not from Texas but from Germany. I then asked her about her spiritual beliefs. Every time I fly, I pray and ask God to put me beside the person He wants me to sit beside and to give me the strength to share the Gospel with them if they are lost, and if they are saved, I asked God to help me encourage them.
Neeli smiled and said her spiritual beliefs were none of my business! Just kidding; she said just the opposite: Neeli told me that last year she had given her life to Christ. I was so excited for her and congratulated her. I asked if she had been baptized, and she said not yet, but she wanted to be baptized before she went back to Germany. She also told me that she attended a local church and that she was involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I then gave her my business card with my email address and asked that she please let me know if I can ever help her. I did not have a lot of cash in my wallet, but I gave all I had to her. I told her I know college students need money. She laughed, but you would have thought I had given her a million dollars! She was so appreciative.
Had Neeli not been a Christian, there is a very good possibility that I would have shared with her my favorite verse in the Bible: Romans 10:9. This is the verse God used to bring me to Himself as a teenager when I gave my life to Him. Romans 10:9 tells us how to be saved. It is not by works or any amount of good deeds, but it is through belief in Jesus Christ and receiving Him as our Lord. To say "Jesus is Lord" is to repent and turn from us being in control of our lives to Him being in control. I am so eternally grateful to God for saving me!
Do you know the Lord? Have you confessed with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believed that God raised Him from the dead? If yes, like Neeli, then I rejoice with you and fellowship with you as a brother or sister in Christ. If the answer is no, you have not yet given your life to Christ, then I invite you to do so right now. Call out to God in prayer and say these words:
"Dear God, thank You for loving me. I know I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I confess that You Jesus are Lord and I believe in my heart that God the Father raised You from the dead. I turn from my sins and surrender my life to You."
If you just prayed this prayer, then welcome to the family of God! Please email me at dforhsee@dfea.com and allow me to rejoice with you.
A new Christian needs a church family like a newborn baby needs a loving, nurturing family. I encourage you to find a good Bible-teaching church and join them. I also ask that you read the Bible daily, pray, and tell others your testimony: how you received Christ as Lord of your life. Again, please let me know of your decision so I can rejoice with you!
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