KNOCK FREE CHURCH
Connecting and Serving our Communities through the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Throughout my life I know that God has been looking after me and taken care of me. He gave me parents and family who trusted in Him and brought me up teaching me about Jesus and what he has done for all of us. It was an immense privilege to be raised in this way. At the age of 12, I came to a gradual realisation that my life was not as it should be and that if I died then I would spend eternity without God in hell. Knowing of my concerns, my parents suggested that a visit from our minister might be good. He talked to me about a number of things; particularly, he explained one of the most famous verses in the Bible (John 3:16): "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." (John 3:16)
It was as if suddenly everything clicked into place and I realised that when we are told that God loved the world, this means that He loved every person individually - even me. This is an amazing fact, and after that I had to respond by giving my life to Him. When I went back to school after the summer holidays, it was hard to stand up for my faith in God. As far as I know, I was the only Christian in my year. However, God sustained me, and I made it through.
When I went to Edinburgh University to study Business Studies, I found a number of Christian friends, and I have been greatly encouraged in my faith, and I feel I have grown closer to God.
I know that many people say that Christians are hypocrites, and do not live their lives as they claim to, and I have to admit that this is certainly the case with me. However, what I continue to learn as I carry on in my life is that, for all my efforts, I constantly fail and do not live up to even my own standards - never mind God's perfect standard. But I know that God has forgiven me for all my failings and that through Jesus' death and resurrection I can be free. We are never going to live up to what we hope to be, and letting go of our pride in realising this is an important step in coming to know Jesus as our Saviour. Through all my Christian life so far, I have known God's security and love - and am more confident in this than in anything else for the future. In a world where everything seems relative and unstable, I know that God's truth will sustain me. I also know that He will care for me:
“‘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).
It’s a great feeling to look forward to the rest of my life assured of God's presence - after all, He made the entire Universe and He loves me. I pray that each of you would come to know His love too.
God Loves Even Me - by Andrew Cumming
Andrew Cumming is a Deacon at Knock Free Church. This account of his conversion was first printed in "Real Life Stories", published by the Free Presbytery of Glasgow and Argyll. We are grateful for permission to print this testimony on our website.