Dec
7
Written by:
Sherri
12/7/2008 9:34 PM
God has been working on Joshua's heart for some time, as we have glimpsed evidences of this through the years. I vividly remember one Valentine's Day...Joshua was six at the time. He drew a picture of the three crosses at Golgatha, with the cross in the middle being the biggest. On top of the middle cross he drew a big red heart and told me that God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to die on the cross. That was God's valentine present to us. I still have the picture today. I was struck by the understanding he had, even at the young age of six.
As we have watched Joshua grow, we've also seen the internal struggle of his flesh wanting his own way. At times it has been quite a struggle, with him becoming more and more bolder, hiding his heart away from us. Joshua grew to become a prayer concern for me. If there was ever a child who would go his own way and rebel against his upbringing, it would be him. He was headed down that path.
Exactly a week ago, Joshua came to me and said he wanted to become a Christian. Joshua says alot of things that aren't really his heart. I wasn't sure his motivation, so I asked him why he wanted to become a Christian. After thinking about this for awhile, he said he wanted to become clean on the inside by Jesus forgiving him of his sins. He said that when he takes a bath, though he's clean on the outside, on the inside he still feels dirty. Ted & I still weren't sure, so we told him to give it some time and more thought...like a week. In sharing my prayer concern with a dear friend, she gave me the excellent advice that if Joshua is sincere, he'll keep pursuing this.
This Sunday morning when I greeted Joshua, the first thing out of his mouth was, "Do I get to become a Christian today, Mom?" This has been weighing on his mind the whole week. So tonight, after getting baths and the other boys settled, Ted & I sat down and had a lengthy (at least for an 8yr old) discussion about what it means to become a Christian, why he wants to become a Christian, is he ready to follow Jesus and obey Him, etc. Afterwards, we got down on our knees for prayer and Joshua asked Jesus to wash away his sins and come into his heart. He knows where he'll spend eternity. We have one happy boy tonight!
Do you know where you'll spend eternity?
2 comment(s) so far...
Re: Another Joyful Birth!
What good news! We are blessed to be loved by such a awesome God. I am thankful to know that the irrepressible Joshua is now a part of God's family.
By Paula Maines on
12/22/2008 9:54 PM
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Re: Another Joyful Birth!
Yes, we are thankful too that God's got a FIRM hand on him now! It has (& will be) been so interesting to see Joshua grow up into his name from the Bible...strong, courageous, not giving into peer pressure. Hmmmm, wonder what new lands he'll conquer!
By smaines on
12/22/2008 9:54 PM
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