My pastor is great. I'm just going to put that out there. He can bring Jesus into a room and then fill you so full of the need to invite more people to meet Christ that you want to run out of the church screaming at the top of your lungs,"Gos saved me and he wants to save you too!" Like a baptist evangelist. (For the record I did not do this I don't think that would actually make anyone come to church) Just so you know, he's great.
This summer I went on a Mission Trip (booyah!) to Hopkinsville, Kentucky and I saw a miracle. I know that I saw 70 teenagers and 15-20 adults realize exactly what having a relationship with Christ is. Myself included. I cried, a lot, and I prayed the hardest I've ever prayed in my life and it felt wonderful to know that I had accepted Christ into my life and that I needed to get everyone into the kingdom of heaven as fast as I could. I will always remember it.
The problem is, that two months later I still love Jesus and I still have a pretty solid faith, I don't have that wonderful feeling anymore, I don't have any ambition to invite kids my own age to church. My pastor once said that "Being a Christian is not for pansies". Well, I guess I've become a pansy. Also, Matthew 13 talks about a farmer scattering seed. "A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on the footpath and the birds quickly ate them up. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted, but the sun scorched them because the had shallow roots. They died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew and choked the young plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil and they produced a crop that was 30, 60, 100 times as much as had been planted." "The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message but do not understand it. Then the evil comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But they don't have deep roots, they do not last long. They fall as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word. The seed that fell among the thorns are those who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest 30, 60, or 100 times what had been planted!" I understand that I have become a seed planted in the thorns. I have done nothing to spread the word of God and have let myself become a thorn instead, spreading bitterness like the rest of the world. I hope that by realizing this I will be able to capture my faith again and hold it fast. Then I can become a seed that lead 30, 60 or even 100 more people to God than just the seed that was planted.
Thanks for reading through all of that, I hope that I can at least help those who read this to have a closer relationship with God.
P.S Eternity is a long time to spend by yourself.
