Gabe

God is gracious. Since I came to know Him through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I have only witnessed more grace and mercy from Him as I grow. I was blessed to be raised in a Christian home. I went to church and Sunday school regularly, and I learned many of the stories of the Bible and memorized Bible verses such as John 3:16 and Psalm 23. I did not understand many of these stories at a young age, and I thought going to church was just something that everyone did. Moving from my birthplace in Canada to the United States was a real eye-opener for me. I was exposed much more to the sinfulness of the world as I began to move into my teenage years, and I began to hang out with friends who were atheistic and worldly. Though I still considered myself a Christian, I was constantly disobedient to God. I would disobey him through my sins, and I neglected to make Him a priority in my life. My prayer life was empty, and as many of us do, I prayed to God only conditionally, asking Him for things when I was in need.

James 4:4 says, “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” I was one of those enemies of God during my high-school years, and I didn’t have any intention of changing it. My goals in high school were to go to a good school, get a good education, and make for myself a comfortable lifestyle based on worldly comforts and wealth. I decided to attend UCLA for college, and I expected a good future.

As I said before, though, God is gracious. By His grace alone, I went to some Christian fellowships, and before long, I decided to join Grace on Campus (GOC). Shortly after I joined GOC, I was convicted to see so many of my peers devote their lives to Christ! It was at this fellowship that I realized my sin of calling myself a “Christian” and not being obedient to all of God’s commands. We can’t just pick and choose what we want to obey; Jesus has demanded that our entire lives be devoted to Him.

Obeying Christ has become the primary passion of my life. I cannot live one day without spending time with God in prayer and in the Bible because He has graciously given me a hunger and thirst for knowing Him. There is no greater gift than to know that the day I die will be one of rejoicing because I will be with my Savior. I have renounced my selfish and sinful ways, and I know that I have found a greater joy. I have surrounded myself with the truth of the Word of God, and I stand ready to deny myself and take up my cross daily to follow Jesus Christ (Luke 9:23). There is no treasure in this world that could match what God has given me through salvation, and I stand unashamed of the gospel message, which has the power to save all those who believe.