Today is a very special day for me. On January 25, 1969, I gave my life to Christ and was “born again” at age 18.
This is the 56th anniversary of that pivotal day in my life. Time sure flies when you’re having fun!
Back then, some people openly suggested I was just “going through a religious phase,” sure to come to my senses at some point. They hoped I would eventually become “normal” once again.
Well, here I am, 56 years later, still following Jesus and avidly teaching people His Word. Today I even got to celebrate my spiritual birthday by preaching to some wonderful Pakistani believers via Google Meet.
It’s clear my return to “normalcy” still hasn’t happened.
However, I’ll be honest: There have been many hard times and disappointments along the way. Any honest Christian will admit to seasons of disillusionment—times when God has stripped us of our illusions about how a life of faith should be.
Although we may have hoped otherwise, our trust in the Lord will inevitably get tested. Yet those experiences shouldn’t surprise us. As Job discovered, these tests are a good thing. Amid the crucible of life, we will eventually come out as pure gold (Job 23:10).
Many of my greatest joys these 56 years have come from enjoying the fellowship of some amazing Christian friends.
But many of my most painful moments these 56 years have come at the hands of Christians who didn’t seem to act like Christians. It “goes with the territory,” as one of my mentors used to tell me.
Why Not ‘Deconstruct’?
It breaks my heart to see many believers recently say they’ve experienced a “deconstruction” of their faith and are no longer following Jesus. On one level, I’m sympathetic. I know firsthand how intense the spiritual warfare can be. We’ve all been tempted to give up at one time or another (Galatians 6:9).
But on another level, modern-day deconstruction is baffling to me. The vast majority of early Christians held to their faith despite incredible persecution. They faced such things as stoning, beatings, imprisonment, being boiled in oil, or even being crucified upside down (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). I’ve never known a Christian in America who has faced anything like that, have you?
However, even in the first century church, there were some fair-weather followers like Demas. We’re told he deserted Paul “because he loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). Jesus had warned that some would allow “the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things” to choke the word and make them unfruitful (Mark 4:19). Then as now, this is a tragic result.
One day thousands of Jesus’ followers abandoned Him because they couldn’t accept His “hard teachings” (John 6:60). They were offended by the costly consecration Jesus was demanding.
Jesus asked the Twelve whether they wanted to leave as will. I love Peter’s reply: “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life” (vs. 67-69).
If you read between the lines, I hear Peter saying, “We’ve thought about it, Lord. We just can’t figure out where else we could go.”
My heart goes out to those who have deconstructed. In most cases, they were wounded by some injustice they experienced in the church.
Yet, I would like to ask them: Where else are you going to go? Undeniably, professing Christians are cruel hypocrites at times, but you will never find a better Friend than Jesus.
Approaching the Finish Line
In just a few days, my biological age will reach 74. Too bad I can’t be 56 in biological years as well as spiritual years. But the clock is ticking, and the finish line is approaching.
The older I get, the more I realize that life on this earth is short. Even if a person reaches 100, that’s really just the blink of an eye.
Eventually we must all face the reality of eternity, an experience that’s going to last a lot longer than 56 or 74 years. That day will come sooner rather than later—not just for me, but for each of us.
So, how should we live our lives today? I find myself increasingly focused on the beautiful words of King David: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).
Friend, I hope you’re joining me in this quest to sow a legacy of “goodness and mercy” during your lifetime. And I also hope you’re preparing to join me in eternity, where we can be “in the house of the Lord forever.”
What a great purpose this is—spanning both time and eternity. I pray you’ll get to know Jesus today and prepare your heart for even greater adventures with Him after you leave this world.
Happy birthday, Jim! Such a good reminder to keep fighting the good fight of faith. Job is such a wonderful example of the perseverance required to endure until the end. And you are an example to me as well!