Decision Time

Sitting on that rough wooden bench at Young Disciple Camp, conviction grabbed me, and I knew what I had to do.  It was decision time.

Shifting into reverse, let's back up a bit to December, 2016.  Each Christmas, instead of giving gifts to each other, our family writes down a gift for Jesus, a resolution related to some struggle we're having, or anything God is calling us to do or surrender for the coming year.  For a while I had felt God calling me to publicly commit my life to Him through baptism.  So that's what I wrote down.  

This year I will commit my life to God through baptism.  

As the year progressed, I became more and more unsure of my commitment.  I didn't have the courage to make my stand.  That is, until YD.  At Young Disciple Camp, I was greatly blessed by all the campfire talks, Deep Bible Studies, etc.  Sabbath evening, the campers were given a chance to share what God had done for them at camp.  Suddenly, I felt a tremendous force urging me to go up and commit to being baptized as soon as possible.  I tried to resist it, but God was calling.  I knew what I had to do.  I got up and joined the line, rehearsing in my mind what I was going to say.  Finally, my turn came, and I shared that because of YD, I decided to be baptized.  Immediately, I was overwhelmed with an gratitude and peace, and I nearly broke down in gratitude I guess, (I don't know how to explain it...).  

A couple weeks later, on a Sabbath morning, I decided I would talk to my Pastor about getting baptized.  That afternoon, he pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to be baptized at the church picnic coming up.  Exactly my thoughts.  Only God could have impressed him to ask me the very same day and the very same thing I was going to ask him.

August 26, 2017, I went under the glacier-fed waters of Norbury Lake, and arose to a new life.  God changed my life, and He wants to change yours, too.  Not that I'm perfect, far from it by any stretch... but God is perfect, and when I let Him take control of my life, my filthiness is covered by His blood, and in place of all my mistakes, is His perfection.

If God is calling you to commit your life to Him through baptism, don't resist another moment.  If you're already made this step, surrender yourself daily to Him, and He will continue guiding you along the narrow road that leads to our destination, heaven.