Genevieve's Party

My Story

“‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the Lord who has compassion on you.’

This sweet promise from Isaiah 54:10 is life changing. No matter what happens, God’s grip on me will never loosen. Although I may lose sight of His hand sometimes, He is always working in my life. As I look back on this journey He has taken and is taking me on, I can see His love and mercy towards me even in the tragic times.

I was a moralist and overachiever at heart. I did everything I could to save myself, which was so futile and foolish of me. I performed to the best of my ability in school, tried hard to obey my parents, and attempted to be a good girl to everyone I met. I thought that was all that Christianity was. When I did wrong, I was terribly devastated. I continued to miss the point entirely. It is breathtaking to realize that God would choose to love me in spite of my previous prideful rejection. The Holy Spirit transformed my heart to give me the ability to confess that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and that I desperately needed to be saved from myself.

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It took the conviction of the Holy Spirit to convince me of this. I had to admit to my offenses against the One who seemed so cold and distant previous to my salvation. God was like an enemy that I was afraid to confront. When I began to comprehend the purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for me, I understood the severity of sin, my sin, and that the only way my guilt and bondage could be overcome was by the death of the Father’s perfect Son in my place. Overwhelming shame led me to my knees. I cried and cried, repenting in my heart for ever thinking that I didn’t need God and for disobeying His commands. The Holy Spirit uncovered my eyes to understand the good news of Jesus Christ called the Gospel and I was saved at age ten. This was the start of my Christian walk.

The Gospel appeals to the one who wants to be part of something bigger than this uncertain, fragile, and ever changing world. It makes those who are at the brink of suicide find a reason to live. The Gospel gives purpose and freedom to the rich and to the poor, providing everything to those with nothing. It reaches down into the deepest hole to retrieve the one who has given up hope. It beckons those who are powerful in this world to admit that they don’t have the answers. It calls the prideful, the conceited, the lonely, and mistreated to “abandon their troubles by the side of the street.”(Dara Maclean) The good news that Jesus lived the perfect life that we could never live and died the death that we deserve in order to make a people for Himself and bring glory to the Father turns everything upside down. Conditionality is thrown to the wind and grace conquers the worst offense.

This truth is so amazing that it can be difficult to accept. It’s hard to live by faith and not by sight. It’s difficult to admit that every single wrong we do separates us from God, the One who created us and knows us from the inside out. This separation causes emptiness within our souls. Nothing can fill that emptiness except for total forgiveness and a relationship with God, a loving relationship that will never, ever change! Reliance on success, money, earthly relationships, appearance, acceptance, and such will not bring satisfaction. Even the happiest, most enjoyable and triumphant times are fleeting. Only receiving God’s one way love in Jesus Christ will provide eternal satisfaction.

The Meaning of Baptism

Baptism is a practice that was commanded by Jesus Christ and explained by the Apostles. It has two basic purposes. It proclaims what God has already done in my heart, and marks my commitment to Jesus and His church. Baptism is an act of obedience that symbolizes my union with the crucified, buried, and risen Savior and consequently, my death to sin, the burial of my old life, and my resurrection to walk in newness of life in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is also a symbol of cleansing, both in the atonement, and in God’s presence and power in my life.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Romans 6:1-5

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:21

Thank You’s

I thank God for using so many wonderful people in my life: my academic and spiritual tutors Mrs. Mahfood and Mrs. Parker who helped me to think through what I believe; my Pastors: Mr. Pino and Mr. Schmatjen who teach, week in and week out, the deep meaning of God’s grace and how it applies to my life, Zeke and Jenny Cuevas for being wonderful role models, David and Melinda Bush and Alex and Mayla Suarez for being spiritual mentors and guiding me with kindness and wisdom, my Nana, Granny, and my whole entire family for displaying familial love and perseverance, my parents for raising me in the ways of the Lord and especially for my mom, who gave me the truest and deepest example of unconditional love in her commitment towards my brother in his most difficult times.

Conclusion

You too can be forgiven of all your sins by placing your trust in Jesus. No sin is too terrible that God cannot forgive it, but if not cleansed, even the smallest sin will separate you from God forever.

“The gospel alone liberates you to live a life of scandalous generosity, unrestrained sacrifice, uncommon valor, and unbounded courage.” (Tullian Tchividjian) By the strength of the Holy Spirit, this is the kind of life I want to live.

“I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate [me] from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)