Now is the time...

John 6
³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. ³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹ This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”


I've always been quicker to listen, observe, watch and reflect, than to speak. My early years were spent listening and observing the teachings of Jesus through church, watching my parents and hearing the Words of God in scripture. The earliest memory I can conjure up is sitting in the passenger seat of the car in the parking lot of Ralph's grocery store discussing salvation with my mother. It was just a couple months after my 4th birthday at that time. I reached out to my mother the other day to ask her what she remembers of that day. She had written this entry in October of 1988, Southern California:


"I had talked to Trinity the night before, once again, about the plan of
salvation. On this day as we were driving into the parking lot at Ralph's
grocery store in Portola Plaza, Mission Viejo, Trinity said, "I've got God in
my heart!" After questioning her, she said she asked Jesus in, that He'd
never leave her, that His Spirit was in her heart, and His body was up in
heaven! Another sign of her independent spirit -- to do it "BY HERSELF!" -my Mother

^{2 Corinthians 6:2}

^{2 "}For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation."

I always knew there was a God and I have never once doubted his existence my entire life. I did many years later doubt that his intentions for me were good though (more about that later). I knew God's presence deeply and personally from that young age forward and realize now that though salvation is an experience and decision that happens once and it sets a course for the rest of your life. It was the starting line of a race, the gun went off and I started running.....

Hebrews 12

 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. ³ Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up."