Yesterday, I got to see someone come to know Jesus. It was clearly by divine appointment that I was there to see it. In the late Thursday afternoon, I was talking to a student in the Student Ministry Center about God, but he had already made up his mind: He wanted to change. He told me that though he wasn't a bad person, he wasn't good either. Something was missing, and the loss of whatever it was gnawed at his soul.
What he was really experiencing was the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I just knew it when I saw it in him. It is one of the most beautiful things in the whole wide world - a lost person being pushed by God to come to terms with his sin. John 16:8 says, "When [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment." That was what God was doing yesterday, because He desperately loved this guy.
I showed him scripture that talked about how each of us are sinners and that Jesus, who is God, came to earth to take the punishment for our sins. Now, he offers us the gift of forgiveness if only we'll take it. When we take it, we're choosing to turn 180 degrees in the opposite direction away from our sin. The point is that we don't just give our heart of Jesus, we give our whole life to him. That's what this student realized yesterday. Jesus wanted everything: his time, his school activities, his family, his possessions - everything.
At the end, I told him that it was his time to "draw the line in the sand" so to speak and cross over to follow Jesus. He didn't need convincing. He made that decision and now he knows Jesus as his LORD and SAVIOR. Hallelujah!
Jesus always has and always will astound me. He delighted me yesterday by allowing me to watch as he drew someone to himself.
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