Knowing God was not foreign to me; I had been calling myself a believer… I had been quite familiar with the stories and commandments of the Bible yet I did not fully understand them. I had been posting verses and other godly stuff on social media, but I could hardly see them translated in my life. I had been trying to seek the things of God and yet, I felt empty. I felt like something was missing. I was longing for something but I did not know what it was.
I encountered IVCF during my first year in college. One of my classmates invited me, along with others, to meet with some people from InterVarsity. Enticed by the free food, I responded to the invitation. At first, I was a bit hesitant, thinking that this organization will just be like the other groups that would convince us to join their local church. But during that first meeting, I realized that their intention was to introduce Jesus to us and not to take us to their church. Then, I found myself having fun and being comfortable with their company. Thus, I decided to get involved.
As I became more at ease with the group, I started opening up my personal life and asking more questions about Jesus. Through a series of discussions, I was slowly enlightened to understand what salvation means. Eventually, I came to fully understand the gospel and decided to receive it. God had responded to my heart’s longing by revealing Himself to me through Jesus. The finished work of Jesus, which demonstrated God’s grace, love, and justice, has secured my salvation and satisfied my emptiness. I came to realize that Jesus was the missing link to my relationship with God.
My new life in Christ has planted in me the desire to know Him more and to make Him known. As I have shared the good news with my family once, I continue to share what I am learning to them now. As my faith in God deepened, I have also gained the confidence to face whatever the circumstance is because I believe that my God is perfect and faithful. He is a keeper of promises.
Now, I still fall to sin and make mistakes. But with Jesus as my Savior, I know that I am completely saved. And as I am learning to follow Jesus as my Lord, I believe that He is at work in changing me little by little to be like Him.
(Story by Sarah Cariño, a 2nd-year BS-Psychology student in UM-Tagum. She is one of the budding student-leaders in the chapter.)
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