Baptism

I discovered something today. Something that I'd forgotten that I had. You know the sweetness and the delight when you find a hidden treasure. What was it I found? This blog! Coincidentally, today is the day that I will be baptised!! No- it's of no coincidence what so ever, the Lord planned it and so it shall be. I'm super looking forward to the baptism, but I stress ( I think I say it so much that I will believe it) not for my glory, but all glory be unto the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The following is what I will share with those who will be listening:

"The Lord has always, gently, been guiding me. I remember as a young girl listening to my Ouma talk about Jesus and in those times I knew he was real. Then I remember one night when I was about eight, after I had been particularly horrible to my brother the Spirit convicted me, and that night I repented: I slept on the floor and I asked Jesus for his forgiveness and saving grace.

Jesus is the only way to salvation, He's not just a free ticket into heaven, but He's a person who is intimately in love with me and who journeys with me as we grow in our relationship. Fully man, yet fully God, I will never know the true cost of the shedding of His blood, which paid the wages of my sin- your sin, all so that we may share an eternal life with him.

It's always been in my heart to get baptised, but I never wanted to do it just because everyone else was. I wanted to make sure that it was because I truly loved and desired to follow the living God, the LORD Jesus. But in my procrastination, the Lord kept speaking to me. Last week as I was going for a walk, I witnessed a baptism in this very place, and it served as a reminder... Then on the Tuesday night I had a dream of my self getting baptised and I knew it was what the Lord wanted. So I told the Lord that I will call my youth pastor the next day (as it was really late in the evening.) However, as the next day came along, the cares of the world over took, and I forgot about my promise to God, until my good friend gave me a phone call and shared with me the Bible study he had just been doing- which happened to be on.. surprise? BAPTISM! Click!

I know now that the Lord desires for ALL of his followers to be baptised, in fact in the Bible they got baptised straight after their conversion!

So let this be my public confession that I believe in and I love God, the Father, Son and Spirit, who sent the Son into this world to forgive me of my sin and grant me life.
So to quote Third Day:

"I believe in God the Father
And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary.
Suffered under Pontius Pilot
He was crucified and dead and buried.
He descended into hell and on the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven where He sits at God's mighty right hand,
I believe that He is returning.
I believe in the Holy Spirit- who is a person,
One Holy Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins
I believe in the resurrection and I believe in
a life that never ends."

As I enter the waters of baptism, I am buried with Jesus into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, I too may live a new life.

Praise and blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ.