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Welcome to this post in Mark’s Place! As always I am glad you have stopped by Reader. Below I will tell you about the best day and the most important day of my entire life.
It happened one evening, I can not recall the year. It was somewhere around 1988 I think, give or take a few years, I simply do not remember. I do however remember that it was on either a Sunday or Wednesday night. I was at church with my mother and grandparents, church being a place I attended often as a kid and still continue to do so today, as I love the church. I had always had an interest in the Lord ever since I was little. As you can find on the “All About The Author" page when I was no more than a toddler I once stood at the altar and said, “Here I am Lord.” This is what I have been told, as I was too young back then to remember it. I always loved hearing good gospel singing, and I use to play like I was a preacher back then. I can still remember sitting in the middle of the kitchen or dining room floor at my Grandparents house, screaming at the top of my lungs the 10 commandments. “Thou shall not kill!! Thou shall not steal!!” I would shout at the top of my lungs. I think I got this ideal from my church back ground, as in most of the churches I attended back then, the preacher would start shouting at you the moment he began the sermon. So I thought that was how it is done.
Oh by the way, I am now a minister myself, and I do shout for joy a lot of times when I go to getting over joyed about a certain thought in the sermon, or when I am really trying to emphasize a specific point in the sermon that means a lot, but as a rule I don’t start shouting at the congregation. I figure they came to hear the word of the Lord, not the word of Mark Rotramel, so I try to let the Holy Spirit do the shouting if you know what I mean. That is not to say I am monotone, but maybe you get my point. I just never had understood starting off shouting at people in my more matured state.
So I love church and love playing like I was the minister, now don’t miss-understand me, I was normal. I was as ornery, as any boy will be growing up. There were times when my Brother and I would goof off while the service was going on, and we could be confident that our mother would give us a behavior adjustment after the service, and sometimes during the service, but over all I took Christ seriously. Now to my favorite part of this story.
It happened one Sunday or Wednesday night, I do not remember which now, but it was at the end of the service. Every one was praying and I think the pastor’s daughters were singing some praise courses. I had felt the tug on my heart, and I harkened. I was standing up as the pastor had us all standing at are seats. Now I did not go forward at to the altar, I just prayed right where I was and said “Lord forgive me of my sins, my life is yours.”
I can not tell you what it was like after I had done this. Instantly I had such a joy come over me, I was so excited, and I remember crying tears of joy! I was young I did not know much about what it meant to be a Christian, but I knew it was right to be one, to follow God, and I knew I loved God and wanted to learn! Thus, when I called on His name in prayer, I felt Him. I remember jumping up and down for joy, like a little boy with a new toy; only, it was much greater than that.
Instead, I was a little boy with a new “Joy”. A joy everlasting, that I knew would never fade away. There was a new feeling within me, but I some how knew that it was more than a feeling. One thing life has taught me as I am maturing, one should not; trust his or her feelings, when it is nothing but feelings. Feelings are fickle, they will change, they are uncertain. But Truths and real Joys, the joy of the Lord, is everlasting. I knew that this is what I had. And best of all, I seen Him writing my name down with His hand. I do not know how to explain this vision, but let me simply say I knew from that point on, that I had become His, and He is mine. My Savior. And my Friend, as well as teacher and father, though of course, I did not understand at that time what this was all about. (John 15:15) However, I understood enough, and I came to the cross, and it has been the best and most important decision that I have ever made. All praise be to God and to Him be glory and praise and honor forever! For He gave me the eyes to see my need for Him at a young age, and I have walked with Him ever since and am still learning of Him. It is a story that I love to tell, and it brings me joy to recall it. The memory is new every morning, so long as I take time to notice. My heart is grateful to Him for His saving grace, His power. I am also thankful for my family, who taught me of Him, and who He is. Again to God be the glory now and forever more amen.
Thanks for taking time to read of my joy. I hope you can relate my friend. Should you have any question about salvation, how to seek and receive Christ saving grace, it is as simple as John 3:16. If you have any questions I would love to talk with you about it, feel free to email me! You will find my email link on our home page, and on other place’s through out this section of the site.