Jay Maynard

I was not raised in a Christian home.  My father was a ‘journeyman Anglican’ and my mother thought she “might have been a Presbyterian”.  Under the unseen hand of God, my parents had an admirable aspiration - to see their twin boys brought up with a clear understanding of “Christian morals and values”.  So it was at the age of 6 that my brother and I were sent on the big orange bus to Sunday school in Barrie, Ontario.  As any true believer can attest, religiosity can’t change the out-workings of a depraved heart.  Although I was active in Sunday school, camps, VBS and other youth activities, and though I heard the gospel literally hundreds of times, I had little interest in Christ or the salvation He offered.  Although my life was sheltered from various sinful influences for which I am presently thankful, I wasn’t fully aware of my lost condition and that my sin was serious before God.  

As a strong missions-oriented church we often had missionaries visit while on furlough.  One ordinary Sunday, one of those missionaries used a verse that was familiar to me - 1 Peter 3:18.  Unlike any prior experiences, the Holy Spirit illuminated my mind to the reality that my sin was taking me to a real and eternal hell and that there was nothing I could do to help that fact.  But I also understood for the first time that Jesus died on the cross for sinners like me.  Under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, I remember feeling alone in my sin and desperate for salvation.  I told God how truly sorry I was for my sin and that I wanted to be saved.  Then, in a most memorable moment, I confessed my inability to save myself and simply surrendered my life to Jesus, receiving him as Savior and Lord; I appreciated that when Jesus died on the cross he died for me.  Today I appreciate that my salvation experience had nothing to do with my own desire or ability, but that it was all a work of God.  Praise Him!