Being Converted

6:01pm
January 22, 2012
Sunday
Little York

Being converted is NOT as easy as other people would have you believe. So many go around preaching that all you have to do is believe, raise your hand, mouth a few prayers, get in the water, and ta-da! You're converted!

I believe it's a lifelong process. Back when I was 12 years old I was baptized in water by the precious name of Jesus. Some would say I was converted. I believed. I was sold out. I laugh about it now. I was not converted at all. As a matter of fact, I did not want my dad to baptize me then. I told him, "I don't need to be baptized. I am NOT a sinner!" I verily believed that baptism only applied to sinners. And I was a child and grew up in church, how can I possibly be in need of baptism? I could even profess I was converted already, why try to convert me still?

When Jesus Christ told apostle Peter to strengthen his brethren after he was converted, what did He mean by that? Peter? Converted? Ha! Peter followed him for three years and I'm sure was even baptized! Peter, needs to be converted? I guess he did. Because even after Jesus rose from the dead, He was still there trying to convince Peter to follow Him. He asked Peter three times, "Peter, do you love me?"

I don't know exactly what to call this process, of God showing me that He loves me, desiring for me to believe with all of my heart that He loves me. And I believe that when I finally with all of my heart believe that He does that I can and WILL do anything for Him. And I believe that this is what is like to be truly converted. When I'm finally bold and unafraid of His love for me and will come out of my selfishness and give of myself to others, I believe that's when I can finally say, I am truly converted. Until then...I guess you can say, I'm still trying to be converted.