Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…This is one of those days when I have about four possible subjects rattling around in my head for today’s blog.. Current events are always a draw for me, but there are so many ways I could go with this subject, I think I’ll take a break from that quagmire and focus on the joy I am feeling just because I am in Christ. I’ve discovered that peace and serenity is what I’ve always longed for and searched for, but as the song goes, I was “searching for love (value, identity, purpose, etc.) in all the wrong places”. And when we’re involved in that rat-race, we have to work awfully hard chasing all the “things” we hope will fulfill our needs.
I’ve been blessed to have had a career in music that brought me great joy. But as I look back on it, there was always the desire – and need – to make sure the next concert was better than the last one; that my contribution was always my best… I always wanted to keep growing, to keep moving up, always striving for… I loved it, and in many ways I was fulfilled by it. But that ultimate “it” was always just beyond my fingertips.
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure what the ultimate “it” was, so I looked outside my career for other ways to find it. That excursion involved a twenty-five year obsession with racquetball and tournament play; an even longer love affair with alcohol and other interesting substances; and quite a few relationships and relationship issues. They all did the trick for awhile, but…
Anyone who follows the path outlined above will most likely end up someplace they never intended to be. And when they get to that “place”, they find themselves surprised, fearful, frustrated, angry… maybe even hopeless. At this point they can chose one of two options. They can shake their fist at God and blame him for allowing this to happen, turn away from him and continue the downward spiral; or they can press into God, admit their own insufficiency, and shout the famous three word plea, “God help me!” When that plea comes from our heart with the intent of repentance (a willingness to change our ways), the door is open for restoration. That was my plea April 21st, 2000, and I have been sober ever since. But that was just the beginning of an incredible journey.
During my thirty-eight year drinking career, I stopped drinking many times, only to fall again for the lie, “it will be different this time. I can control it.” But after the compulsion to drink was lifted from me, I became obsessed with finding answers to “why” and “how”. But one thing I did know for sure; however this happened, it was beyond me. It crossed my mind more than once that it might be a miracle, but the problem with that was…I wasn’t sure I believed in God. But I was willing to concede that my experience might have “religious roots” of some kind, so I started looking into Eastern religions, Islam, and even new age religions.
Two years into this quest, I ran into one of recovery friends who asked, “Presgrave, have you found God yet?” “I don’t think so”, was my answer. He seized the opportunity and invited me to Grace Church St. Louis. I told him about my church experience as a kid and why I wasn’t anxious to go back to church, but he assured me he found something at Grace that he’d never found in other churches. He peaked my interest, so I went the following Sunday. That was the beginning of a whole new journey.
That Sunday morning Pastor Ron must have known I was coming because he prepared a message just for me. The message I heard that morning was way different from what I heard in my childhood church. This message was about a loving and merciful God who wants a relationship with us…no matter who we are or what we have done. It was about forgiveness; it was about bringing the hurting people into church so “the church” can love them until they can love themselves. Wow! That message got my attention. I took the church bulletin with me that had the Scriptural references used in preparing that day’s sermon, and I stopped by the bookstore and bought a Bible so I could check to see if anything was exaggerated or misrepresented in any way. The result: I was convinced and I was hooked.
Once again I became obsessed with learning the truth of God’s Word. I participated in numerous Bible studies, engaged a spiritual mentor, and became a voracious reader. I couldn’t get enough. Two years later I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior; three years later I became an Ordained Pastor.
John 8:32 describes my journey: “Jesus told his disciples, if you follow my teaching you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Today I have truly been set free. Today I know who I am in Christ. Where before there was a search for identity, value and purpose, today I am totally secure in those areas. My identity today is: I am a child of God. I was grafted into his family when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. 2 Corinthians 5;17 explains this transformation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old is gone; the new is here.” I am no longer a slave to my “sin nature” (human nature). Today I can make choices that bring honor and glory to God because I am his Masterpiece (“capable of doing the good works he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10)
My value to God is reflected by his unconditional, unending, unfailing love for me. He was willing to pay my “sin ransom” so I can spend eternity with him in Paradise. This is confirmed in Romans 5:6: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” And again in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that those who believe in him will not perish, but will have everlasting life.” And again in Hebrews 8:12: “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities and remember their sins no more.”
And my purpose is clear. I am to let Jesus’ light shine in me through my words and my deeds; I am to reflect the truth of Jesus’ teachings by the choices I make and the way I choose to live my life; I am to share the Gospel of Grace with those who do not know Jesus Christ; and I am to be of service to my fellow man.
And there’s more: I am worthy and acceptable in God’s sight, not because of anything I’ve done or haven’t done, but because I am in Christ. I am covered with the blood of Jesus, so God now sees me as a Saint (one who is holy and set aside for a sacred purpose), not as a sinner. And, I am heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm as well as all the promises in the Bible. Wow!
That, my Friends, is who I am in Christ, and that is my source of joy, peace and serenity. We can all find ways to fill that “hole in our soul”, but everything else is a counterfeit and will eventually fade away. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. In his love, there is no fear. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for? Isn’t that what we all want?
The truth is, this is available to anyone who wants it. All you have to do is ask.
Feel free to respond to this message, and please “like” and share I with other social media friends.
May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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