Reflections on 50 Years as a Christ-Follower

I am writing this post on Sunday, August 18, 2024. This date is a special one for me because fifty years ago today, God made me His child. God stepped into the life of a 13-year-old who had been wrestling with the Spirit for almost a year, and He changed my life that day. Reflecting on five decades of following Christ, here are my thoughts:

1. God’s grace is magnificent. It was He who led my seventh-grade classmate to tell me the gospel. It was He who orchestrated our living next door to a Southern Baptist deacon who happily took me to church. It was He who led me to a church where the pastor (a title I didn’t even know at the time) clearly preached the gospel. It was He who patiently and persistently convicted me, never giving up on me. It was He who saved me the first time I had ever been in church. Amen.
2. His calling is amazing. I realize some folks debate the concept of “calling,” but all I can do is tell my story. As I was sitting on the front pew after the pastor prayed with me on the day of my salvation, I somehow heard clearly in my mind and heart, “I want you to preach my Word.” I had little idea where that word came from, as I did not even know there was a calling to preach. Nor did I understand who the Holy Spirit was. To my knowledge, nobody had been praying that their son or grandson would become a preacher. It was all unbelievable that day 50 years ago, and I remain amazed today that I get to preach God’s Word. 
3. His plan is incomprehensible. Today, I think of God’s Word to the prophet Jeremiah: “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born” (Jer 1:5). You see, He saved me and called me knowing how often my failures would be, how persistent my pride would be, how many my faithless worries would be, how recurrently I would work in my own strength. He knew me – and still He called me to Himself and His work. I can’t help but weep as I write these words wrapped in grace. 
4. Following Him gets sweeter as the years go by. Those words are more than the lyrics to an old song; they are truth He illustrates every moment by His faithfulness to His own. At this stage of my life, I increasingly realize how great God is—and consequently, how little the temporary things of this world matter. I’m more joyous than ever today to be an “alien and stranger” (1 Pet 2:11), knowing that not only is He sweet today, but the best with Him is yet to come. Forever. 
5. The psalmist was right. His reflections on God’s faithfulness led him to this conclusion: “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread” (Psa 37:25). I need not add to his words . . . . 
6. There’s no reason to slow down in running the race today. Having been a believer now for fifty years means that I’m getting older—but that truth doesn’t bother me. What it does do, though, is intensify my urgency to do the work of the gospel. With family, friends, and neighbors still non-believers, and with 4 billion+ people still having little access to the gospel, much work remains. 

Thank you, my 12-year-old friend who led me to the Lord.

Thank you, church of the Lord Jesus, for loving me. 

Most of all, thank You, Lord. You are good.