A Day to Remember

A young boy ran up to me after chapel and showed me a date his teacher, Dee Helinski,  had written on a tract.

“What’s this?” I asked while reading it.

“It is the date I asked Jesus to save me.” He smiled and then said, “I got saved last night, Mrs. Loyd.”

I hugged him and thought to myself, “Well, there is another one, Lord and the host of angels and believers were rejoicing!”

Our new birth is a Day to Remember! If you don’t remember when you were born again, at least think back to the year and try in your mind to think of the month or as close to it as you can. It is important to most people to know when they became a believer in Jesus Christ. 

Different ones through the years have said to me, “Well, I’ve been saved all my life. My mother went to the 1^st Baptist Church of Yonder Year and I was baptized in Yonder Year Pond.”

No, and a thousand times, NO! Being a member of a church does not save you and neither does baptism. Both are important and friend, you could have been saved most of your life, but remember that life had a starting point…..there was a day of salvation. When did your new life begin?

2Pe 3:1 ¶ This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2Pe 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
2Pe 3:3 ¶ Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
2Pe 3:8 ¶ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9 ¶ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

In the Old Testament God placed an importance on “Knowing” and “Remembering” the time God delivered His people.

Ex 13:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
Ex 13:4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.

God was very specific with His people and commanded them to remember the day they came out of Egypt, but not only did He need for them to remember, but to celebrate their deliverance as well. The feast of the unleavened bread was to be celebrated by His people.  As a side note……If you are looking for a new study, may I encourage you to read in depth the different FEASTS and what each one means. It is fascinating!

We celebrate birthdays and go all out year after year after year, but few celebrate their Spiritual Birthday. If you are saved, then you are BORN AGAIN.  The date of my salvation is somewhere in the records of the Church of the Brethren in Middleburg, Florida. No one seems to know. I do know that I was baptized July 24, 1959 after my salvation. Therefore, that date has become very important to me. I was also called into full time ministry on July 24 of another year.  I remember the moment as the Holy Spirit touched me and I walked the aisle to receive Jesus Christ. Amazing to me was our magnificent God who loves me so much that He used these dates in my life, days to remember. I have them written down and I encourage you to do the same also. You might need a starting point. It isn’t about numbers but about “remembering” the day, or month or year of your salvation and maybe you are as I am and do not know the exact day. Nailing it down in your mind and then writing it down to remember is so very good because Satan WILL COME and try to cause doubt. It is a big help to younger children and to teens to write it down, immediately, in their Bibles.

I love this quote by my friend Dr. John R. Rice, “One who has trusted in Jesus Christ as his own Savior, given his heart to Christ and depended upon Him, is saved whether he remembers exactly when it happened or not.” If you struggle in this area of not knowing, go back to that time as close as you can, and get it settled today.

When the students come to me desiring to be BORN AGAIN, I lead them first to the Word of God and then they follow through with their asking Christ to forgive them of their sins to receive Him as their personal Savior.  It is beautiful. I do something next that I have been criticized for and that is OK. I still do it and it is this:  If a child came to the knowledge of Jesus today, October 16, and prayed out loud with me confessing his sins, I will help that child find a chapter and verse to write down that date, which I call A Day to Remember.  Example: October 16=10:16. I look for chapter 10 and verse 16. I may have several to choose from but every now and then, I may not. It is not a magical figure, or number or something that God commands.  For me and the little one, it gives them a starting point to trust the scriptures and start their journey in His Word.

John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Mr 10:16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them

Heb 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Again…..if you don’t know your day of salvation then begin TODAY and get it settled! If you are not sure you are born again, then what are you waiting for?  This is your DAY TO REMEMBER!

Ro 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Ro 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Until next time, Lord willing...

Sharon