O Happy Day!!!

 

Today is one of the happiest days of my life. God has been faithful throughout the entirety of my life but today he leaves me speechless. My heart is overwhelmed with joy to the point where I can only make sense of it by writing this post.

Today my oldest brother is getting baptized with his wife Tara. He is a 34 year old man, he has always stood by my side and we have constantly pushed and challenged one another to be a better men. A few years ago we were faced with a difficult situation, I gave up drinking for my faith in Jesus. God spoke to me one night and asked me to give it up and it change my life. I would love to say that Josh agreed with this from the beginning but he did not. In fact it challenged our relationship even more. We became distant, my heart became distrot but God promised me that this was part of his plan. It didn't make sense to me at the time, besides why would God want me and my family to be further a part? After time Josh watched as my faith grew stronger. At the same time I began seeing God work on his heart. He began going to church weekly. He began asking questions and wrestling with God on the tough issues. One night Josh and I were having dinner after looking at a few real estate properties to which he hesitantly said "Zach I was at church the other day and something happened, I was asked to give my life to Christ and it was hard but something inside of me said it was time. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior." My heart sank, my eyes became watery and I realized Gods plan is always better than mine.

We talked about Jesus, our struggles and our testimonies for the next few hours. As with most radical changes I still didn't believe it. I prayed to let my heart soften and be there for my brother. Soon his passion would over ride any doubts I had about his commitment to God, he began waking up and studying his Bible every morning, sending me verses of encouragement and asking me questions about the Bible. Today my oldest brother makes a public display of his inward commitment to his faith. He will be baptized in front of thousands of people at Vineyard Church, Columbus. A church that has enabled him to connect to a pastor and grow deeper in his faith. I can't help but be thankful for my pastor, Matthew Johnson, and my church. My deepest desire is for the people I love to go to a church where they feel loved, connected and unjudged. Lancaster Community Church has done that for me. They have provided me with the love and encouragement I needed to start my walk with Jesus. Even when I stumbled and asked questions they help provide answers and lead me closer to God. Church is not a place of condemnation, it is a place of freedom. A place where we can walk in with our baggage, shame and guilt and set it before God with others who can help us understand it. My prayer is that everyone reading this can find a church where they find this to be true. If you do not feel this way at church, please go somewhere else, go where you are being fed. Do not go to church because you feel compelled to go there or because your family went there. Go where you can grow closer with God, it may be somewhere different and that's okay.

I wake up today with a happy heart, one that jumps for joy, knowing that my brother Josh and Tara are faithful believers in Christ and that we will spend eternity together in heaven. When asked if Josh has been baptized before he responds "yes but I was a child, now I am being baptized as a follower of Jesus." The difference is huge. Josh has always been a "Christian" but now he believes that Jesus is Lord. That he can and will overcome anything life throws at him. He has a heart for God and I am so thankful to have him in my life. With certain friends and family we can only communicate to certain levels. I have friends that will never understand my struggles because they do not understand my faith. When you are walking with God you can bare your shame to one another, your struggles and you can lift each other up. My brother Josh has done that for me and today I stand in awe as God has shown his faithfulness. I am proud of my brother, I always have been but today I witness something truly amazing. I witness that his character has changed, that when he rises from the water he will start a new beginning. That all his sins, shame, guilt and anxiety from the past will be washed away for all to see. That he is committed to his faith and that nothing of this world can take that from him.

I could not help but have the lyrics of "O Happy Day" by Jesus Culture on my heart this morning as I thought about my brothers baptism. I have listed them below:

The greatest day in history, death is beaten
You have rescued me
Sing it out, Jesus is alive
The empty cross, the empty grave
Life eternal, You have won the day
Shout it all, Jesus is alive
He's alive

[Chorus:]
Oh happy day, happy day
You washed my sin away
Oh happy day, happy day
I'll never be the same
Forever I am changed

When I stand, in that place
Free at last, meeting face to face
I am Yours, Jesus You are mine
Endless joy and perfect peace
Earthly pain finally will cease
Celebrate Jesus is alive
He's alive

 Oh what a glorious day
What a glorious way
That You have saved me
Oh what a glorious day
What a glorious name
Jesus!

If you are praying for people in your life who are not saved I encourage you to keep praying. Continue to ask God to pursue those who have not received Gods grace and his word as truth. Pray for their salvation! You never know the role you are playing in their lives and God does not want you to lose hope, continue to pray for their hearts.Thank you for reading and be blessed!!