Montra's Story

At the tender age of five, I didn't have much of a criminal record. But I learned from Sunday School that disobeying my parents and telling tales (aka, lying) were sins that needed to be forgiven. Plus, I needed to be made as if I hadn't done anything bad if I wanted to live forever in heaven rather than the other place. After seeing an older friend baptized, I asked my parents about it. They explained that she had asked Jesus to forgive her for all the bad things she had done. My parents talked about how all of us do bad things, which result in death and separation from God (Romans 6:23). Believing in who Jesus is and what He did was the way to have life forever with Him. I decided to ask Jesus to forgive me and be my friend.

At six, I was baptized in front of the church as a sign that I had made a commitment to Jesus. Then, I did my very best to live according to the Bible, using Jesus as my example. I wanted to please God and have people notice how good I was. It was hard to be perfect like Jesus—actually impossible—but I kept trying. Although I wasn't doing too many bad things, I had no joy in working hard to obey God. I began to wonder if something was missing.

At a youth retreat during my 15th year, the speaker explained that we could either try to live with ourselves in charge or we could give Jesus control of our lives and seek to live according to the Bible’s instructions and the promptings of His Holy Spirit. I realized I needed to choose daily to act not from selfishness or self-centeredness but to consider how Jesus would want me to treat others. My prayer to give Jesus control of my life and ask Him to lead me by His Spirit resulted in more joy than I had ever known. The next day, that joy bubbled over at school as I shared with a friend about praying to give Jesus control of my life.  I began to experience growth in living more like the Jesus of the Bible. I’m still growing as I study His word and seek Him through prayer and fellowship with other believers, taking every opportunity to share with others what He has done.

Through faith, I was saved by His grace, not by any works I could do myself. It was His gift alone.

-Montra

Have you experienced God's transformative power  in your own life? We would love to hear your story! Your story—regardless of how spectacular or ordinary you might think it is—is a glimpse into God's character and could inspire and encourage others on their own spiritual journeys. Share how you've experienced  the life-changing love and grace of God today.