KingsWay member Ted Williams shares about how the Lord got his attention and revealed to him the truth of the gospel and salvation through Christ alone.

My parents lived during the Great Depression, and as a result I grew up in a home that valued hard work and obedience to authority. We went to church and were taught that there was a God, but I do not recall hearing the name of Jesus very often outside of Sunday school. It was simply implied that in order to get to heaven you had to stay busy doing “good” works and follow the rules. There was no mention of the Gospel. As a result I learned to look down on those whom I thought were lazy and had a contempt for authority. I knew I was not perfect, but I thought I was better than most since I stayed out of trouble and did not participate in drinking parties or do drugs.

At the age of 19, I was working as a delivery boy for a local pharmacy. A new pharmacist was hired for the store. He was outgoing, vibrant, and not hesitant to share his faith in Christ. I was not sure what to think initially, but after a month or so I agreed to meet with him after the store closed to discuss his faith more. It was then that I learned that getting to heaven was not about doing good works or obeying the rules but trusting in Jesus. It was not about what we do but about what Jesus did during his life and death on the cross. I learned that the Bible says we are all sinners and are not capable of obeying God’s commands. As a result I was guilty in God’s sight. I deserved his wrath and judgement and ultimately death or eternal separation from him. The good news is that Jesus came and lived a sinless life and died for us. In so doing He paid the penalty for my sin in order that I might have peace with God. That evening for the first time I understood that being a good kid by the world’s standards was not good enough and I needed a Savior. I made a profession of faith in Jesus at that time and was delighted to know that if I died, I would go to heaven and not receive the punishment that I deserved.

In looking back I believe the decision was more from my mind and not my heart. It was not until I moved way from home to complete college at age 20 and started attending a Gospel preaching church that I learned what it meant to walk out my faith. I realized that trusting in Jesus was more than just acknowledging his death and resurrection for my sins. It required submitting to Him as the Lord of my life and deciding to live a life pleasing to him.

Since then that has not always been easy to do. My pride often gets in the way of confessing sin and resolving conflict with my wife. My lack of faith at times has resulted in me looking to the world and leaning on my own understanding when making diﬃcult decisions instead of looking to God’s Word and seeking godly counsel. My lack of sincere love for others has also made me hesitant at times to sacrifice time or money when a need arises. Sadly I still have to fight not to get angry at my younger grandchildren when they disturb my peace, make a mess, or unintentionally break something.

The good news is that despite my failures and repeated sin, the Bible says when we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us and amazingly at the same time cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I am so glad that He who began a good work in me will bring it to completion, and that he has promised to fulfill his purpose for me and carry me even to old age andgray hairs. I can honestly say with Paul that to live is Christ and to die is gain. In the interim as we learned from Ecclesiastes, all God asks us to do is trust and obey and leave the rest to Him.

May He satisfy me and you every morning with his steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad not only on Easter but on all the days to come for He has Risen. He has Risen Indeed.

Ted Williams