Luke's Testimony

Luke's Testimony

I was raised in a Christian Home and attended church every Sunday, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I would have considered myself generally a "good boy" and a Christian. I went through all the outward motions of being a Christian, but never really turned from my sins and toward God, never placed my trust in Christ as my Savior. As I got older it became more and more evident that I was not living to please God but to please myself, my relationship with God was non-existent. In my first year of college I began experimenting with drugs and getting drunk with my friends. Eventually I was doing drugs at least every weekend and showed little restraint in denying myself whatever I wanted. I dropped out of college after my second year and was not sure what I wanted to do with my life. I was lost, alone, and often times depressed.
But thank God for his incredible mercy. It was at this low point that I believe God started drawing me to himself. One nightI had a dream where I saw myself hammering nails into the wrists of Jesus on the cross. I remember the dread of what I was doing, all the time trying to stop hammering but unable to. That dream never left my mind – it was firmly imprinted. I was so afraid that I dug out the Bible my mom had given me years ago and began reading in Romans. As I read I was convicted of my sin and the wrath that I deserved– Romans 1:18-20 says:
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

As I continued to read the Savior and his sacrifice for my sin were revealed. Romans 3:24-25 says:
“[All] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”

Over the next several weeks I would cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness. I repented of my many sins and turned away from my sinful lifestyle and began trusting in Christ as the sacrifice for my sins. That was nearly 8 years ago, since then God has graciously blessed me with a beautiful and loving wife who was so instrumental in helping to build my faith immediately following my conversion. Kriscinda and I have been blessed with three wonderful children, one of whom awaits us in Heaven. How grateful I am for eternal life found in Him.

As a recipient of amazing grace, I am grateful now for the opportunity to be baptized and publicly proclaim Jesus as my Lord and Savior.