i am a c... i am a c-h... i am a c-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n!

i heard on the radio this morning this verse...

for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
romans 6:23

this was one of the first verses i memorized as a child.
and it got me thinking, this verse is a big reason why i became a christian in my young age.
i was afraid.
the reason i asked Jesus into my heart at age 8 was because i was petrified of burning in hell for eternity.
it's a scary thought.
especially for a child.

and yes, it still means something to me as an adult but that's not the reason i choose Christ now.
i choose to call myself a christian for other reasons now that i'm an adult.
God's gift to me is an invitation for relationship when i'm lonely.
His gift to me is hope when all hope has faded.
His gift to me is love when i feel empty.
His gift to me is freedom when i feel chained down by my own insecurities.

His gift to me is grace when all i am is selfish and don't deserve it.
His gift to me is joy when i feel sad.
He gives meaning to my life NOW.
i know He will give meaning to life when i die too... but this is the present.
i must learn to live in the right now.
to live fully in each and every moment.

i know i will still experience pain, loneliness, emptiness, insecurity, selfishness, sadness and more.
but i can choose to focus instead on the gifts He gives freely.
i can choose to believe that He loves me.
that He loves little old messed up me.
and because He loves me... it gives me the power to love others.
fully.
without reservation.

whether or not i think they deserve it or not.
whether or not they think they deserve it or not.
it's the love of Jesus that is the sole reason i'm a christian now.
that love needs to rule in my life, in every relationship, in every circumstance.
God is sovereign.
and so is His great love.
what a gift!

let's read the same verse in the message (b/c i'm becoming obsessed with my copy) and find the great goodness in these same words... just expressed a little differently.
be sure to take note of the stuff in bold... GOOD stuff!

but now that you've found you don't have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God tell you, what a surprise! a whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more of life on the way! work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God's gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our master.
romans 6:22-23