By Christina Roth

I have often been reminded of that special day in March of 1996, when the Lord graciously saved me. As I dwell on that day, I get small glimpses of my past.  I see the many events and conversations that led up to that day.

I remember sitting in front of a trusted friend after he shared the gospel and I remember saying, “I am a good person.  Of course I’m going to heaven.”  And I remember how gently and lovingly he began to show me the error to my thinking.

I remember sitting in the front of a small church on soft green pews, listening to my friend sing a song from Romans 1: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”

I remember being filled with emotion, convicted of my sin and seeing my need for the Savior.  Oh what a glorious day it was!

A few weeks later after reading through the Gospel of John, I could not contain this joy I was feeling. I could not describe it. I was captured for sure but could not explain it. I drove over to the church, bursting to tell someone…anyone.  After looking desperately, I found the pastor.  He listened as I explained to him this inexplicable feeling I had.  He chuckled, smiled, and rejoiced right along with me.

He led me to 1 Peter 1:8-9. “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

That was it! Peter knew it…joy inexpressible! That was the only thing that allowed me to articulate the depth of emotion I felt.  It was inexpressible joy…joy inexpressible!

The details of your conversion may be drastically different from mine.  However, I can say that dwelling on your conversion will likely have the same effect as dwelling on mine did for me.  If you lack joy this day, look to the cross.  Remember how God revealed himself to you.  Remember the songs and the conversations that all converged throughout the cosmos on your behalf.  Remember the day you first believed, and be filled with gratitude.  You were lost in your sin.  Yet, though the mercy of God, in the death of his son, you were redeemed.  You were bought and rescued and adopted and guaranteed to spend all of eternity with the Lord and Maker of your soul.  Such remembrance, rightly understood, will undoubtedly lead to joy inexpressible!

By Christina Roth

This past September, Bill and I celebrated our twelfth anniversary.  It made me think of that amazing day when we were joined in our marriage covenant.  As the pastor spoke he held up a piece of rope.  “A rope with three strands is not easily broken,” he said pulling on the rope.  Those three strands, he told us, represent Bill, me and the Lord.  This wisdom we will carry with us as long as we live.

However, lately I needed to be reminded of our three strand marriage once again.  The Lord has graciously revealed a trend going on in my life.  I increasingly found myself making decisions on my own, without even speaking to Bill about it.  Recent examples include volunteering Bill to coach my daughter’s soccer team, scheduling various parties to attend, and inviting people over to our home.  When I make these decisions they all seem reasonable, even honoring to God.  The soccer team provides a great outreach opportunity, parties always provide wonderful fellowship with other women, and the Bible is very clear about the importance of hospitality…right?  Well, not so fast.  Each of those choices led into conflict with my husband and consequences that showed me these choices were in fact not as reasonable or God honoring as I thought.

In conversations with Bill I began to realize that I was acting as a single strand, weak and ready to break at any moment.  By not consulting Bill on these decisions, I was not considering him and the wonderful role he has as my husband, my leader, my protector.  I was acting alone, not accessing the wisdom and care that my husband often provides.  Even though we may have ended up doing the very same things that I planned, the process of making decisions alone deprived us an opportunity to seek the Lord together on important priorities in our lives.  As we resolved the conflict, Bill helped me see our three strand marriage vision, the same morning that my faithful Lord reminded me of it in His Word.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.  But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!  Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?  And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him- a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”  (Ecc. 4:9-12)