My Religious Conversion is a Personal Relationship
“Are you ready to pray with me and accept the call of Jesus Christ?” Jack asked me.
“Yes,” I said, “but only if you don’t close your eyes while you are praying.”
He assured me he would not and led me in prayer to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and I became a Christian.
It was nighttime and as he prayed, Jack guided his car down the highway toward home. In a Nebraska city, he and I managed restaurants that carried the logo of a large national chain, and we were returning from an annual tri-state convention in Kansas City. It was a couple of weeks before Easter in March of 1975.
The year 1975 was a tough one in my life, so, as a way of escaping, I increased my already above-average consumption of alcohol. This put me on a fast track to self-destruction. Thankfully, though, Jack, I, and Phillip, our area supervisor, were friends outside the restaurants. Jack and Phillip were Christians, and as they observed my downward trend; they witnessed more to me about Jesus Christ.
However, being a preacher’s kid I knew about Jesus Christ, but chose not to accept Him. To me He was a crutch that I didn’t need or want. Nevertheless, Phillip and Jack, along with the power of God, continued to present Him to me. For the ride to the convention, Phillip arranged it so I would ride with him, alone, and ride home, alone, with Jack. In their respective cars, for both trips, they and God had me as a captive audience.
On the trip home, Jesus called me to Himself; suddenly, He unveiled Himself and I understood. Jesus is God and through Him is salvation. I understood what He meant when He said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 4:6 NASB Yes, I decided to accept Him, but He made the decision for me. When He calls you understand and you cannot say no.
Sure, there have been personal sacrifices, but they are sacrifices that glorify Him, and that is what my life is about, glorifying Him. Whatever I do that glorifies Him is a positive for me. The things of the world no longer hold a large degree of interest to me, because I am simply passing through; heaven is my home.