A New Creation - from Despair to Hope

"Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

On Wednesday, 20 November 2024, I gave a short sermon at a local NGO for the homeless, called U-turn. It was here that I shared my favourite verse and my story below. It was one of the most powerful verses for me during the early days of my conversion to Jesus Christ, on 9 June 1973.

I shared this verse as part of my testimony of what brought me to Christ - my rebellious nature and the pain of my parents' struggle with alcoholism and the years of experiencing the conflict between them.

Jesus saved me during a crusade in the Methodist church. This gave me hope for my parents, their broken marriage and their salvation.

Despite my faith and hope the marriage never mended, nor was the alcoholism treated. But my father did respond to the call of Jesus at one church service that I invited him to. But he kept drinking - literally to his death and the death of his large successful engineering business between 1975 and 1978, during my last years in the military and time completing my medical technology certificate.

The key changes in my life were from 1973. I had more peace to pray for them, stay at home with them, and never give up hope. I was also able to minister at school through a Bible study group that I started that year.

I shared this story at the NGO, as part of my sermon, reminding myself (and the group) that in God's time, He can do anything - but He cannot and will not violate the free will He gives us - all decisions have consequences, some positive and some negative.

Why do I share this? I'm not sure. Maybe just to explain to you that we can help change the world in small steps - starting with our own immediate world, leaving the rest of the world in His hands.

We are called to the privilege of sharing the Good News of salvation, to provide hope and to offer the lost a new path. As I often say "THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE".