The Increase Sample

MILES McPHERSON

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

The decisions we make can drag us to the bottom of the barrel, and it’s there that we find the love of God. That simple truth is the essence of my story.

I played in the NFL for the San Diego Chargers. I was living the lifestyle of kings, but hadn’t yet bowed my knee to the King of kings. Everything changed on an airplane, when I passed by a group of players who were doing a Bible study. They challenged me to look deeper.

So I did.

After you read Acts 9:1-19, the first thing I want to tell you is that not all Christ-followers have this kind of conversion experience. Less dramatic experiences are no less real. But my experience was sudden, abrupt, and strikingly similar to Paul’s conversion.

At the peak of my rebellion against God, He offered me true life. Not a false or lesser life involving the empty promise of money and the elusive, fleeting highs offered by drugs and sex outside of marriage. But a true and lasting life fed by the resurrected life of Christ Himself, in me and through me.

I’ll say it again, because it’s of utmost importance. The decisions we make can drag us to the bottom of the barrel, and it’s there that we find the love of God.

God has done an amazing and ongoing work in my life. I’m far from perfect, but He’s grown me into a pastor. I now pastor The Rock Church in San Diego, CA. Take a look at more of the story at theincrease.org.