This is My Story

As a child who grew up in the church, I learned a lot of Bible "stories" as they are called. In Sunday morning Bible class and at home, kids sit and listen to stories played out in the Bible on a level that they can understand and relate to. I think we hear that word story and we can get caught up thinking that they are just that, a story, maybe even a fictional story. Some of them seem so far fetched that they don't seem like they can be true.

Once upon a time, a young boy killed a giant with a stone.

Once upon a time, a flood covered the whole earth, killing all but eight people.

Once upon a time a talking donkey told Balaam that he was making a huge mistake.

Once upon a time a huge fish swallowed a man named Jonah.

By faith I see that these are not just fictional children's stories. These are real and lived out by real people. Every word in scripture is God breathed and inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The examples given above were all in the old testament and that is what is often learned in Sunday school for young children. Stories on pages of scripture coming to life and being learned by young people who are developing a faith of their own. This is great and wonderful, these children need to learn these profound, true stories at a young age.

There is a story in the New Testament that is considered the greatest story ever told.

Once upon a time a man named Jesus was beaten and hung on a cross. He died and came back to life three days later. This is the sum of the Gospel, the good news. This story also seems to good to be true.

My faith makes this a reality. This story becomes my story. This is my story and I'm sticking to it. This is my story, this is my song. I have this blessed assurance, that Jesus is mine and that this narrative is real. This has become my mantra. This historical, true tale must now be lived out in my own life, through my own faith.

This should be the story of Christians everywhere.

The kingdom of God is not visible by worldly standards, but is no fairytale either. You won't see a golden throne, a crown or a handsome prince rescuing a damsel in distress. What you will see is a savior, a hero if you will, that saved all of mankind by sacrificing his own life, yet rose from the dead (no, it's not a zombie thriller or an action/adventure novel), a God who loved the world so much that he gave his only son for her (no it's not a romance book) ,a God who came down to earth and became man and dwelt among other humans (no it's not a science fiction/fantasy read.) Seems storybook worthy to me, sounds like any good fictional book that you could read today, but this book is in the non-fiction category. This story is too good NOT to be true.

This story is my story. I want my life to speak each page, each God-breathed, inspired Word. I want those sacred Words, to be my words, I want God's Word which will never fail, or wither, to be my testament to mankind. I want the story that I tell and leave behind as a legacy to speak the truth of God's Word. I want my life to reflect those pages. The physical pages, like me are weak and can tear easily, they can fall apart, but the words written in them, the faith within is strong and can never be broken.

Jesus' life, burial and resurrection is a story for the ages and must be passed down from generation to generation. Our young children, need to know this story is true. They must learn this at an early age so it can become their own story, as well.

This story must be lived out in our own lives to reflect the glory of the Author. We must seek first this kingdom written about in this great book and that kingdom will one day be ours for all of eternity and we will reign with this hero, Jesus forever. What a great story!

This story is too great to keep to ourselves. Tell others the story of Jesus, let them see who He is, let them see His words written on your heart. Let this be your story.