This past Sunday my son, Micah, stood before the congregation to publicly confirm his faith. Here’s an excerpt of what he shared as his personal faith statement …
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV).
This verse has helped me countless times; it gives me hope when I am struggling with decisions in my life. …
I believe this verse and the rest of the Bible to be true and read it often because I have a Christian faith that I have been taught by my parents and by many of you here today. I have held to that faith and believe it because the Bible explains it so well. … The Holy Spirit has given me confidence that Jesus has died for me and will freely forgive me of my sins if I ask for forgiveness.
I will live by this faith for the rest of my life and I intend to share it with people I encounter who haven’t heard about Jesus and His free forgiveness. Even though I will encounter challenges I will think back to Jeremiah 29:11 and remember God has “Plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future.”
The concepts of Life in God’s Way and a “Thumbs Up” worldview have guided Heather and me as we’ve raised Micah in the Christian faith. We thank God that he’s grasped these concepts, trusted in them and adopted them as his own guide for life. I agree that we do have hope and a future when we see the Spirit at work in the next generation. As they are led to put Jesus first and to love others as Jesus first loved them, all their relationships WILL be blessed. The Christian church will thrive. Many more will see Christ in them and be drawn to Him. As I consider the future, I give it a big “Thumbs Up!”
Micah, Family and Friends at His Confirmation