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THE TRUTH FOUND ME

by ROBIN BOSCH  
4/07/2015 / Devotionals

MY LIFE: BC and AD

1) BC ---Before Christ

For years I had questions like: What is life all about? Why am here on this earth? Is this all there is? What is the meaning of life? I used to go to my parents with anxiety, pleading and asking with tears. I needed answers. I needed assurance. Sadly at that time they could not give them to me. I felt so insecure, so unhappy.

I read Eastern religious books. I did yoga, visited a Swami Guru in Johannesburg, read science of mind books, visited a so called New Age faith healer, and attended a lecture by a man who had insight into the spirit world, who was nothing but a spiritualist, guided by demonic spirits. Some family members' ooo'd and aaa'd about this man's so called spiritual insight but I went home and wept, knowing deep down that there was something very wrong with his beliefs. I think my family thought I was weeping with joy. In reality I was grieved in my innermost being. Everything just left me empty, hopeless and unhappy. It was a cul-de-sac of false promises and empty philosophy. They had no answers.

This is emphasized by Wayne Jackson in his article, "Christianity and World Religions" and I quote" The philosophy of the East can be summed up in one word: escape. It is a dismal desire for release from Karma. The Buddhist, for instance, longs for Nirvana, which may be described as something between annihilation and continued existence. Does that sound contradictory? Of course it does. But one must remember that even "contradiction" is "truth" in the oriental method of thinking."

Yes, all these so called Eastern Religions seem very spiritual and enlightened but at the core, peddle the erroneous belief that "all roads lead to Rome". In other words, that there are different paths to God and it doesn't matter what you believe in, they will lead you to God in the end. How wrong they are.

Anyway to continue; I sought and anguished for many years with these paths, with no satisfaction at all. I remember at teachers training college having an argument with a devout Christian at the college residence. Man, oh man, did I annihilate him for his beliefs, ramming home my eastern religion philosophy. Poor chap. I came away satisfied that I had won the heated debate.

In reality this young man was a strong believer and would not budge on his faith. When I look back I honor and admire him. I despised him thinking I was enlightened. Oh, how spiritually blind I was.

(Col 2:8 KJV) "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (see also Gal.4:8)

The amazing thing is that I also went to church during that period of my life. I attended the Central Methodist Church and enjoyed listening to the Reverend George Ervine. I then moved to the Presbyterian Church where I was confirmed by the Reverend Smuts. It was all very nice and that, but in reality I never really understood what was going on.

I remember the Reverend Smuts asking me to pray out load during one of the confirmation classes. You know what? I could hardly utter a word. I just couldn't. I was petrified. It wasn't real to me. I had no idea how to. If I read the Bible I don't think I understood it at all. Why though? It was because I had not found reality. It was because I was not 'Born Again'.

(Jhn 3:3 KJV) "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Because I was not 'Born Again' I could not 'see the truth' of the kingdom of God. Everything was vague, fuzzy and confusing. I could not see any light.

Well, from then on I floundered around in spiritual 'no man's land'. I was confused; bobbing around dumfounded, fearful and ignorant. Still asking the big question, "What is life all about?" I suppose that incorporated all the other questions: 'Do I just live and die and that's it?' 'What is my purpose here?' 'Why have I been placed on this earth?' If you think about it, these are life and death questions that demand answers.

I definitely had a hunger for the truth and sought it with sincerity. I needed the truth because as I learned later" The truth will make you free" (Jn.8:32)

I certainly was not free; therefore I had not found the truth.

2) AD---Anno Domini.(In the year of our Lord)

But there came a day and an hour, not of my own doing when I found the truth or rather,the truth found me.
(Jhn 14:6 KJV)"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

I remember I was reading a book that my mother had given me to read called, 'The Holy Spirit and You': A Guide to the Spirit-Filled Life by Dennis and Rita Bennett. Each night I read more of it and eventually one night while reading I felt the presents of the Lord very tangibly near to me. I did not formally pray any sinner's prayer or anything like that, but the words I read convinced me of who Jesus was and what he had done for me.

THE LIGHT SWITCHED ON
From the very moment I accepted Jesus the Messiah as Savior, salvation kicked into immediate effect for me.

What happened?
1) I was translated from death to life. (2Ti.1:10)
2) I became a new creation. (2Cor.5:17)
3) The Holy Spirit came to dwell in my spirit. (1.Jn.4:13)
4) Christ had died for all my sins on the cross of Calvary.
5) Christ had reconnected me to the Father. (Rom.5:10)
6) A new birth had taken place. I was born again. (Jn.3:3)
7) I was filled with peace.
8) I had hope.
9) I was given a meaning to life.
10) I had a purpose for living.
11) All my burdens fell off my shoulders.
12) The light switched on.
13) I knew, that I knew, I had found
the Pearl of Great Price,(Matt.13:46)
the Lily of the Valley,(Sng.2:1)
the Bright and Morning Star,(Rev.22:16)
the Rose of Sharon,(Sng.2:1)
the Balm of Gilead,(Jer.8:22)
the Prince of Peace.(Is.9:6)
and
My questions were answered
and
Peace flooded my soul.

It was a once off decision that I took; a childlike 'baby step' of faith. (Lu.18:17)

I could not add or subtract anything to save myself or embellish this gift in any way.
No, No, No Only the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and His Blood that was shed, could save me and make me acceptable."

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Eph 1:6 KJV)

No work of piety, religious activity, good deed, giving to charity, nice attitude, having integrity and morals could earn me the right to be acceptable to God.

Why do I say this?
Because scripture says, it's "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" (Tit 3:5)

No and again No! I simply had to believe in Jesus Christ.

(Rom 10:9 KJV) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

I have been a believer for many years now and it has been a process of learning, a process of development, a process of discovery, falling down and getting up. I have had to learn to know Him in the power of his resurrection.

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;" (Phl 3:10)

This process will continue until my time on earth is up. There are so many nuances and hidden truths and treasures to be discovered. I get excited when old truths become new truths. As I delve into the Word of God, His nature is revealed. It is the Lords desire that I have an ever deepening relationship with Him.(Phil.3:10)

Over the years I have discovered that He is a good God. He is kind and loving. He is patient, full of grace and mercy. He is not angry with me. He is for me and not against me.

This is emphasized by something I read and I quote, "The gospel (The Good News) is simple but it gets bigger and better on closer examination until your mind is fried and you are floored with gratitude at the loving-kindness of a good God"(PE)

As I discover more of His wonderful grace, I find I want to emulate his character and good nature. Notice I want to; I'm not forced to. You see, it is the Lords desire that I become more like Him. This is a process. So the more I immerse myself in who He is, the more I act out who I am 'in Him'.

This is the result of being in a relationship with Jesus rather than being in a religious legalistic system.

The Lord is patient and full of grace and mercy towards us. We too should be patient with ourselves and others.
Amen.

I have been a believer in Christ for many years. It has only been in the last three or four years that I have received greater insight into the Grace of God. This has injected me with energy to tell others about the blessed "rest" we have in Christ. Grace is not a theology but is a Person-- Jesus.

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