But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. II Peter 3:8-9, NIV (1978)

And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on His name. Acts 22:16, NIV (1978)

Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! Ezekiel 18:30-32, NIV (1978)

 

I can remember a conversation I had with my mom 52 years and a day ago, today. It was the 15th of September in 1973. I was 13 years, 2 months, and a day old. I had been raised by godly parents who did everything they could to raise me up in the right way. And though there is not a great deal of really sinful things a boy of thirteen can get himself into, I had certainly not lived a perfect life up to that point. 

 

My parents (especially Mom) were big believers in attending the church services every time the doors were open. That meant Sunday school and worship on Sunday mornings, another worship on Sunday evenings, and mid-week Bible classes on Wednesday evenings. I tell you this to let you know that I had heard the Gospel hundreds if not thousands of times by that point in my life - and by a multitude of different preachers and Bible school teachers at that. I knew what sin was, and I knew what was needed to have those sins removed. Furthermore, I knew better than anyone that I had more than my share of sins, and I therefore knew that I was responsible for doing something about it.

 

Now don't get me wrong, for I knew that God's part and Jesus' part (God's grace and Christ's dying on the cross, shedding His blood for my sins) were the main things. But I also knew that God still had created a hell for the wicked, and I was more than familiar with what the Bible taught on personal responsibility. Most churches of Christ are more than thorough about the personal responsibility part of the equation, and I had no doubt as to what I needed to do. So, on that day of September 15, 1973, I told my mom that I thought it was time I was baptized and became a Christian. Mom, who knew me better than just about anyone else, was in heartfelt agreement with my conclusion.

 

I remember well the events of the next 24 hours, because they were so important to me at that time. I had purchased a "Cheech and Chong" album some time earlier and would listen to its off-color humor when no adults were around. Now, I knew that no child of God (or a child of my mom and dad) should be listening to such an album, filled with profanity and suggestive topics, but I kept it and listened to it all the same. But I also was aware that repentance was a big part of becoming a Christian, so I took my prized possession from its hiding place and broke it into pieces and threw it away. 

 

Sunday morning came, and I was more than a little nervous. Had I known at the time that I could have been baptized with just my family present on that Saturday I had decided to become a Christian, I would have surely done so, but I didn't and now I faced the prospect of waiting for the preacher to finish his sermon and then make that difficult trek up those long aisles and make my confession in front of hundreds of people that I did in fact believe that Jesus was the Son of God. 

 

To my surprise, my older brother also went up that aisle and also made his good confession that day. Then we were baptized, Steve first and then me right after. It is hard to explain the emotions I felt over the course of those two days, but when I finally was baptized and came up out of those waters, I was a different person. I was still a boy of thirteen, of course, but I was different. I was no longer afraid of dying and going to Hell, for I had done what each one of us have been commanded to do from the day that Jesus was resurrected from that tomb. 

 

I was fully aware that I could still turn my back on God and reject that salvation, but I was at last a Christian, and I was determined to live the life that a Christian should live from that point forward!

 

Of course, that determination soon faded. I still attended the worship every time the doors were open, and I genuinely tried to do well... it's just that there are so many temptations for a boy of thirteen. I was soon to discover that those temptations only increase as one ages, and I have certainly had my moments. Sometimes I am amazed that God stuck with me, even though I wandered away in sin so many times. I guess it has a lot to do with the patience of God, and I know that it has even more to do with His great love for me. 

 

And though I can never realize the depth of that love and patience, I have come to appreciate these wonderful attributes of God more and more as I have gotten older. I have come to understand better those ancient truths that God really does not take pleasure in the death of any of His creation, and that he is patient because He does not want any of us to perish. But the sad truth remains that there are still so many who have little regard for what God and Christ have done for them. There are many who do have some concern though, and it is up to you and me to bring them the Good News of the salvation that is in Christ. 

 

That's a big part of the reason that I continue to write these daily articles. It's not that I believe the thoughts I have are so important. it's more due to the fact that there is so much I have to make up for when I consider all of the failings I have had in life. And I figure that I'm not the only one who has struggled with walking the straight and narrow, but I also know that it is up to us to encourage one another to get back onto that narrow path. These are some of the things that I have learned over the 52 years since I became a Christian. I know I've got a lot more to learn, but I know that God will be just as patient with me for the rest of my years as He was during those first 13 years, 2 months and a day, because He still loves me more than I could ever comprehend, and certainly more than I will ever deserve!

 

If you're a Christian, then I suspect you are abundantly aware of His great love and patience. But, if not, today would be a good day to start finding out. And after 52 years a Christian, I can highly recommend it!