So we started attending church. That was a start, but it wasn't the end. My sophomore summer, I gave my life to Christ and was baptized. I am not sure what the timing was, but some point after that (at least a year or so) Mom and Dad decided to get baptized too.
The only relatives we had in the states at that time were Mom's aunt and uncle, who lived about 30 minutes away. Mom and Dad had stayed with them when the first came to the states, and we all had remained close.
Mom talked to Tante (German for aunt) Freida about her decision. Freida's response was emphatic, "Your mother would turn over in her grave if she knew what you were doing!"
Now that could have hurt mom. It could have made her doubt her decision. But it didn't. Mom's response was on track. She said, "No, I don't think she would. I think she would want me to do what I think is right." Way to go Mom!
Conversion coersion: Those things that make you doubt. They can come from anywhere. I am sure that my aunt did not mean to be a stumbling block, but she could have been. And they don't stop at conversion either, they continue all along the way. That's why I always prefer Luke's version of the temptation of Jesus, because he ends it with the words, "When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:13) The temptation in the wilderness was only the beginning for Jesus!
That is Satan's job, and he is darn good at it. Conversion coersion, doubt, anything that will weaken and ultimately break our bond with Christ. Paul's admonistion to Timothy comes to mind, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." (1 Tim 4:16)
2 comments:
I once it said that is someone can talk you into salvation then someone can probably talk you out of it. I guess that is why salvation is a heart thing and not a head thing.
so hard when thos close do not understand
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