Nigel
...the best advice I ever had.
Nigel is married, the father of three children and grandfather of four. He makes his living working with computers. He is the webmaster for Introducing Jesus. He lives in south London, England.
How and when were you introduced to Jesus?
I was born in central Africa where my parents were missionaries, so I have always known about Jesus. But I really started following Jesus when I began work at about the age of 17. A friend called Pete worked at the same place. He was a Christian and used to talk to us about Jesus as we worked. He challenged me to think through for myself what I had been told about Jesus. When I looked again at the evidence for who Jesus is and what He did, and especially his resurrection, I decided to follow Him for myself.
What difference does knowing Jesus make?
Knowing Jesus has changed my life. I spent a number of years at boarding school while my parents were abroad. As well as the usual lessons boarding school taught me to be self reliant, confident and stand on my own two feet, but I also became selfish and over confident and insensitive to other people. Following Jesus has taught (and is still teaching) me how to relate to other people, how to love my wife and children better than I would otherwise, and how much I need other people. I am not there yet. I still need the power of God in my life every day to make me a better person than I would be otherwise.
One consequence of going with Pete to his church was meeting, and later marrying, a wonderful girl. When we were engaged someone told us the promise in Matthew 6 v 33.
"Make your first priority the Kingdom of God and what He requires of you and all these other things [the normal every day needs of life] will be given to you as well".
We have made that the aim of our marriage - not always successfully - but God has always been faithful in providing our needs.
What advice would you give to others looking for faith?
Look carefully at the evidence of who Jesus is and what He has done. God seems distant and unreal until we realise that Jesus came to show us what God is like and how much he loves us. Looking at it for myself and learning to love and follow Jesus was some of the best advice I ever had. Thanks Pete
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