Celebrate Jesus, Celebrate!

Sunday, August 26, 2001

Ephesians 2:8,9 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (NKJV)

Our family has been struggling for years with conflict, friction, heartache, and personal jabs at my daughter's self-esteem, mostly by her older brother. Family life has been a real struggle. How could we have children that are so mean to one another? Our children are two years apart, and I have always dreamed of the day when our household would live in peace. People told us that, when they were older, they would like each other. But why couldn't they like each other now? As a family, we should not have to put up with such friction and constant arguing.

Recently, my daughter was having a particularly bad day, taking everything that everybody said personally. "Why are you mad at me?" " What Daddy said was mean." "I hate my brother!" On and on and on. Many tears were shed that day. Then I remembered another little girl once who struggled with these same thoughts. That was the day that my mother decided that I needed Jesus in my life. I had a long chat with my daughter. That evening, she invited Jesus into her life, to take away all of her sin and the burdens that weighed her down so heavily. It was an exciting and emotional moment in my life, to be with my ten-year-old as she committed her life to Jesus. Thank you Jesus!

The next day, I remember thinking that somehow she was different. She acted differently, and responded positively about something that would normally have been a negative experience. I was expecting the worst, but it didn't happen! I thought that she felt more confident, and happier than I had ever seen her. That night I told that I had noticed a difference and asked her if she had noticed that too. "Oh yes", she replied. "I do feel different, like I'm lighter and happier". Amazing love.

Quite often our devotions allude to becoming Christians, but I wanted to share a personal experience of great happiness and burden lifting. I have trouble believing that such a major change could occur overnight. Thank God for faith. But the fact is that my daughter is a new creation in God's sight. I have witnessed what that faith can do. My daughter had faith that Jesus would save her, and that in return she would have eternal life. Praise the Lord!

Prayer: Our gracious heavenly Father, thank you for your grace, for by your grace we have been saved. Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross for our sins, so that we might have eternal life. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Karen Knuff <knuff.karen@gmail.com>
Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

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