Walking this cold winter day in upstate New York I saw a large wooden manger scene empty from Christmas past. The plastic figurines were gone into storage, the wind blew at the hay hanging on. A real and strong presence of God’s grace, guidance and blessings assured me once again of His past and future love.
I saw how God’s love was constantly poured into my life while writing the first volume of The Threshold as a Christian. But my first 36 years I lived without Christ and without the knowledge that He, being God, is in control of all things. Not until 8-20-1989 did He let me know I always had the Savior’s love and it was God’s grace allowing me to believe Him and my responsibility to accept.
In the grace of God by faith alone, through His chastisements at times, He led me by love to love Him and to desire to be obedient. Prayer and scripture reading drew me nearer and closer still. His presence throughout my life quieted me. Turning my young ‘baby Christian’ acknowledgement of Him, into a submissive, growing loving relationship provoked me to write.
His constant blessings of love are His story. The Threshold became a lifelong story about displaying God’s love. One of my literary goals is to encourage lukewarm or casual Christians at any age to seek a yielding and obedient bond with a holy God. Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate;”
Repenting in faith is an ongoing commitment for the Christian who wants to love God first, Matthew 7:14 “…difficult is the way which leads to life…” Living through seasons or episodes of life, God breathes His will into submissive lives. Each time we turn away from sin is like planting seeds of obedience that will grow into the blessed fruit from our loving Father.
I hope young Christians learning how to not love the things of the world and will learn from my mistakes. Growing one sincere heart at a time takes faith in trusting God. Ephesians 6:24 “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.”
The real Jesus is offered as a living love gift to all people as the only way to escape hell and please God. If people reject the responsibility to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord to obey, they are responsible for going to hell. What a person does with the eternal gift of Jesus is the only thing on this Earth that really matters.
