In India it’s a little-known fact that it’s actually illegal to speak in a church with a tourist visa. But that’s exactly what I did a few Sundays ago to give a testimony and share the Gospel. I wrote this in Nepal, but I got a chance to share it in a church in India a few weeks later. This is what I shared:
I love the idea of writing love stories. I love writing about how two characters will meet, fall in love, and spend the rest of their lives together.
Recently, God asked me to write our love story. I wasn’t sure what that meant at first, so I decided to write about how we met, how I fell in love with Him, and how I chose every day to live my life following Him. This is what I came up with.
Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved love. She searched for her one true love, someone who would love love her despite her flaws and shortcomings. But searched in all the wrong places and didn’t find what she was looking for. She looked for love from a man, love from her family, and love from her friends. She found some good relationships and some bad relationships, but she still felt empty because the kind of love she was looking for was not there.
She started to feel discouraged, until one day she met a man named Jesus. She had heard about this man before, that He had overcome death because He loved people so much. She heard that he loved and accepted people for who they were and forgave them for all the bad things they had done. The girl was nervous about trusting Him because she thought He was too good to be true. She had been hurt before and didn’t want to be let down again.
But when she met Him for herself, she realized there was something different about Him. He did love her for who she was and didn’t leave her for her flaws or any of her past wrongdoings. He showed her that He was trustworthy and kept His promises every time. He brought out the best in her by gently pointing out any mistakes she made and helped her fix them together.
From the moment she said, “I do” to Him, their love grew and grew. He walked with her through the joys and sorrows of her life and helped to make her paths straight. He brought peace into her life and led her away from confusion. He showed her how to trust Him and others, and His very presence drove away fear and doubt.
Jesus loved her so much and showed her how to love and help others like He did. He never left her side and showed her how wonderful life could be. She had some bad days too, but He never told her she was not good enough and was there for her especially in those times.
I am that girl. I used to search for love in all the wrong places, but the only place I found true love was in Jesus. His love story for us is greater than any other love story ever written. God sent Jesus to die for us in our place so that we wouldn’t have to die for our sin. Every person who does wrong against God deserves punishment for their sin, but Jesus took this punishment for us so that all who follow Him could have eternal life. That life is offered to you today as well. If you don’t know Jesus personally and don’t yet know the love He has for you, that offer is extended to you today.
Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that all who come to Him with a sincere and repentant heart will be forgiven of their sins. John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” If you would like to accept Jesus into your heart, please come talk to one of us afterwards. Thank you for having us here today. Wandanalu! (Which means thank you in Telugu.)
