Give credit where credit is due

I intensely dislike notoriety and in particular exposing my private life and weaknesses to others, and I much prefer to stay on the sidelines, (if possible in complete obscurity). I have had several opportunities to receive publicity and share my story with large numbers of people and I did however agree to participate. Why? I did it because I thought it might help lead some people to Christ or help motivate and give hope to others who already know Christ. My sordid lifestyle prior to becoming a Christian is not something I am proud of and I only reluctantly share my life story with the intent of giving hope to others that if I can succeed with a background like my early days, anyone can, provided they are willing to accept Christ as their Savior.

Recently two major magazines ran an article about me and they also ended up featuring my story on their home pages on their websites. Our media specialist wrote me and told me that one of the magazines had over one million visitors to that site per day. Visitors to the site can comment on the articles that are featured and mine was no different. Most of the comments were good, but one fellow said that although he admired me for conquering incredible odds and succeeding in spite of them, he disagreed that God had anything to do with it. He said that I had done it on my own and only through my own sheer hard work.

Well I could not let that one go unanswered, so I wrote an online comment of my own. I told him that on my own I had not accomplished much of anything, save ruining my life with drugs, alcohol, and all of the rest and it was not until I turned to God that my life turned around. The only difference between the first 24 years of my life and the rest of my life has been my relationship with God. Logic alone would indicate to any reasonable person that it was God that was responsible for my turnaround and not me. Further I mentioned that it had nothing to do with luck as had been stated in the article; I told him that statement came entirely from the writer and not from me. The writer added several things to the article that did not come from me including saying I was an accidental entrepreneur. I cannot buy into that one either; considering my starting point; I would say that I was most definitely an “unlikely” entrepreneur, but accidental, no! I believe that everything happens for a purpose and I don’t suppose I am an exception. God uses my weakness to accomplish His perfect plan just like He uses all of His children.

Why do you suppose that it is so hard for some to believe that Christ was behind my personal turnaround? The same reason that some people cannot believe that Paul, a Christian-hating Pharisee, had His life transformed by God, or that God performed any of the thousands of miracles that He performed. A friend of mine who happens to be an atheist told me one time that he would believe in God, if God would write His name in the sky. I sadly shook my head and told him that, I did not believe that at all. God performed miracles that were far more astounding than that and He did so in front of thousands of people and those same people put Him to death. He was crucified, buried, and arose again in three days just as He predicted and yet people who saw it with their own eyes did not even believe their own eyes.

What does it take to make you believe in God? A miracle? I can tell you with every ounce of my fiber that indeed it is a miracle that I am alive today, much less enjoying a wonderful family, success, and happiness beyond my wildest dreams. I can say without hesitation had it not been for God’s grace I would be more than likely dead, or at the very least in prison, or in a mental institution. He gave me a reason to live, and blessed me beyond measure, and He loves me beyond measure in spite of my terrible flaws and I love Him for it. Although turning my life around from drug addiction is considered miraculous to many, to God it was all in a day’s work.

The Bible is full of such miraculous stories. I highly encourage you to read it. Reading the Bible is what made me a believer in the first place. While reading the Bible I realized that no matter what someone has done, even the worst of the worst sinners could be forgiven and that Jesus took all of our punishment for our sins. I learned that Jesus wants us to be happy and successful and that if we will trust in Him and just do our part and work hard He will help us to achieve His purpose for us and best of all when we do pass on to the next life, we will enjoy spending eternity with Him in heaven just having a blast.

Like that wonderful old gospel song, (not a praise song), states, “Only believe, only believe, all things are possible if you only believe!”

Eph 2:1
And you He made alive who
were dead in trespasses and sins,
in which you once walked
according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit who now
works in the sons of disobedience,
among whom also we all once
conducted ourselves in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, just as the
others.
But God who is rich in mercy,
because of His great love with
which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses,
made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been
saved),
and raised us up together in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come He might
show the exceeding riches of His
grace in His kingdom towards us in
Christ Jesus.