Living for Christ Alone

Before I received Christ, I was self-centered.

I grew up in a Christian home and in the church but I was tired of living a life that others expected me to live. I wanted to live my life for myself. I then started living the way I wanted to live. I only did what I wanted to do and when I wanted to do it, not really thinking about the impact I was making on others or the mess I was making for myself.

After about 6 years of making very poor decisions and ignoring God's call, I woke up one morning and felt like God had smacked me with a 2"x4". I felt like He was literally saying to me, "What are you doing? This life is not the life I've called you to live." My eyes were opened to the dirtiness of my life and to His pure and righteous love for me. I had known the Gospel in my head but I didn't understand it and carry it in my heart until that moment.

I finally surrendered my life to Christ and stopped living my life for me and started living my life for Him.

I tried making amends with the people I hurt due to my poor selfish decisions, this was my way of truly confessing and repenting of my sins. I apologized, not always receiving forgiveness from everyone, which is okay because my forgiveness is now in Christ and not others. I stopped going to bars and clubs and started going to church and small group / bible study. I knew I had to surround myself with other Christians and start receiving Christ-like accountability for my actions. My decisions changed, my friend groups changed, and my life changed with Christ.

My life is fulfilled in Christ and in Christ alone. He's paid for my sins and took on my punishment so that I can have a full life with Him. How could I not want to live for Him after knowing a love like His? Nothing else will ever give me a real and lasting happiness like the love of Christ. I now only desire Him and His will for me, which is eternal life with Him in heaven.