This one's personal...
Today is a very special day for me… it is the 24th anniversary of my dedicating my life to the Lord. My brother and I went forward together, which is so neat to me. Our church had a visiting pastor who, basically, scared us into accepting Christ by saying things like, “If you get in a car accident leaving the church without having asked Jesus into your heart, you’re going to hell!” Who wants that??? At the time, I got saved to avoid going to hell. I didn’t have a relationship with Jesus. Dutifully, said my prayers at night like a good little girl, maybe one or two during the day if I wanted something bad enough. I felt a lot of guilt for doing, saying and thinking things that were sinful, and made so many vows to try to do better. Since I am human in a fallen world, my vows rarely lasted.
Here it is, 24 years later, and I realize securing my eternal home is just part of the gift He has given me. About 5 years ago, I really started drawing near to Jesus and getting to know Him. I religiously (no pun- okay, a little pun intended) read the Bible to learn all I could about Him. Now, He is not just some far off Ruler in the sky… He’s my everything. He talks to me daily, protects me, loves me, even jokes with me in a very real way. He comforts me, gives me exactly what I need (both pleasant and unpleasant) at just the right time, and understands me better than I understand myself. And I've learned the meanings of grace and mercy, including Jesus loving me just the way I am. That in itself motivates me to follow His will and turn away from temptation.
Truly, words cannot describe what He means to me. I believe the Psalms say things like How awesome is the Lord Most High, so many times because there are no words to accurately proclaim His Majesty. And Be exalted, O Lord, in all your strength, because only He can exalt Himself to the level which He deserves.
If you want to see me in heaven, you will find me with the angels, who (as described in
Revelation 4:8), Day and night they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.