God Came Near

A picture representation of the baptism of Jesus.  

When God sent His Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and  HE declared:

"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!"

The Trinity was present at Jesus' baptism to share in the joy and obedience of the Holy Son of God.  It was a special moment in the life of Jesus.

Sunday, May 4, 2011, I had the pleasure to witness the baptism of my oldest daughter, Samantha June Lemay

Her dad had the privilege to baptize her

The Trinity was present at Samantha's baptism to share in the joy and obedience of the my first born child. It was a special moment in the life of Samantha.  

As a parent, I have always taught my children the importance of baptism.  God commands it in His word.  It is a serious decision, not to be taken lightly.  I always encouraged my children to be sure their faith was tested before they committed to following Christ in this way.  

Growing up in a Christian atmosphere, I'd seen too many youngsters be baptized only to fall away from that commitment during their teen and young adult years.  I didn't want that for my children.  I prayed that God would and will show them when the time was right.  That each one would listen closely to that 'still small voice' and obey.  That time was now for her. 

Giving her testimony

She has allowed me to share her testimony with you.  Be blessed as I was blessed to hear  these words from my precious daughter.

I was very blessed to grow up in a home with two strong Christian parents. They taught me and my siblings about God and how to live our lives for him.

I don't remember this, but my Mom has told me I accepted Jesus into my heart at age four. She says I was listening to a song about how our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and I asked her what that meant. She explained to me that when we accept Jesus as our Saviour He comes and lives inside our heart. I told her I wanted God to live inside of me and we prayed together right then and there. 

Even though I don't remember that happening I do believe that was the beginning of my journey with Jesus. It has shaped my life since then and there has never been a time since then that I haven't known that God is with me and loves me.

As I've grown up I've discovered more and more about God, who He is and what living for Him really means.

My favorite verse has always been Jeremiah 29:11 which says:

 "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to help you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." 

During the most difficult times in life I have wondered "God how is this a good plan? You promised me hope, you promised to help and not to harm me."

I've wondered and questioned how He could bring good from my heartbreak. But He always has. Proving his Jeremiah 29:11 promise to me over and over again.

Looking back on life, even though I've only lived 24 years, I can definitely see His fingerprints all over everything.

One thing I'm especially thankful for is that God brought me here, to RCC. I've been coming for about a year now and what I love most is that here, I can see Jesus' heart. Through you all, as you live out what God has called us all to do. Love Him and love others. This place, these people have been instrumental in my journey with Jesus.

One Sunday I was here, listening to Pastor Tom; speak and he said something that hit me hard. He was talking about being clueless in our Christain walk and he said "you might be clueless if you know everything about baptism but have never experienced it for yourself." That was me exactly. I had grown up with God as a huge part of my life. I had gone to church all my life, seen many baptisms.

I loved God and I wanted others to know that. Why wasn't I baptized? God tugged on my heart and I knew this is what I wanted to do.

I've asked my Dad to baptize me today for two reasons. One is that because without him and my Mom's love for God I would not have been able to experience the blessing of never having NOT known God. God has always been part of my life, part of me. That's something beautiful.

And two, because we, as the church, are the bride of Christ and I love the idea of a Dad giving away the bride at a wedding. This is like a picture of that, in a way.

I love God. I am forever thankful that Jesus came to earth, died on the cross for my sins and rose again. I know that without Him I would be nothing but because of Him though I am a sinner, I've been saved by grace. I believe this with my whole heart. I want to follow God wherever He leads me and do whatever He wants me to do. Now and forever. And I want the world to know that. So I'm excited to take another step on my journey with Jesus and be baptized today.

The part I underlined above:  I would not have been able to experience the blessing of never having NOT known God. God has always been part of my life, part of me. That's something beautiful, touched me to the core!  I always worried about my children just believing because they didn't know anything else...yet here she is calling that BEAUTIFUL!  Thank you, Jesus, for making that beautiful in her life.

This experience was an amazing one.  I could feel the presence of God.  He came near and touched us as a family.  It was a time I will NEVER forget.  

The only other experience that comes close to this was at my daughter's wedding in June 2010.  

I expect the next time I will experience this feeling will be when I hold my first grandchild :)