TESTIMONIES OF CHRIST - MICHAEL CHOE

My name is Michael Choe. I am currently a Commercial Real Estate agent working for Legend Properties. God has changed my life by giving me freedom through Christ from bondage of sin. I tried in vain to find self-worth in my abilities, appearance, athleticism, accomplishments, and in people’s perceptions.

Two verses that stick close to my heart are Psalm 139:13-14, “for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” and Genesis 1:27, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.” God has taught me that I have immense worth that’s derived from him.

In junior and high school, I was a short kid with many insecurities. In order to prove my worth, I placed my efforts in my studies, athletics, and my appearance. I felt that I could find worth and overcome any insecurities by exerting effort to change myself.

I looked up to people that were smarter, taller, and more athletic. I thought that if I was just a few inches taller, more athletic, a little bit smarter, I would find self-worth. Instead of finding self-worth, this led me into a cycle of bondage. I wasn’t free because I didn’t love myself.

My friends and even my family couldn’t change the way I thought about myself nor could they really understand what I was going through. No matter how much I tried to improve my appearance, improve the way people perceived me, or achieve more, there was always something I could improve or achieve.

I felt chained and without worth. This all changed when I met a Christian who revealed to me a God that loved me, knew me, created me, accepted me, and died for me. I met this Christian in a Cafeteria where he was debating about God with a friend. The unbeliever threw hard questions of why and how it is possible that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. She questioned this with much unbelief, pointing to the hundreds of beliefs that existed in the world.

This Christian answered by pointing to a God that loved man so much that he would give up his Son, Jesus Christ as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of man.

He said there was no religion nor spirituality that would offer this kind of relationship with God nor was there any religion that would offer God’s Son as a sacrifice because he loved man so much. As I thought about his response, I saw a life of integrity, peace, and joy behind such words. I wanted to know more about a God that would sacrifice his Son because he loved me.

A few weeks later, he invited me to his church and I joined his youth group. I felt a warm feeling of love and acceptance amongst the church members. I also saw an inner joy and an inner peace in each member. Coming to such a warm church stirred my curiosity more. This eventually led me to attend a retreat where I was challenged by a message to repent of my sins and turn to God. The Pastor invited the audience to take that step of faith to believe and allow God to be Lord and Savior of their lives.

I wanted to believe in this Jesus and knew that I had nothing to lose. If he wasn’t God I would soon find out, but if he was God, then I knew that the bible was true, God loved me and sent his Son, Jesus Christ to die for my sins.

Hence, I asked God to enter my heart. Although I didn’t feel any different nor was my life instantly changed, I sensed a freedom like I never experienced before. I no longer felt the need to prove or earn self-worth but found freedom understanding that God created and loved me. This inspired me to know Jesus more.

As I sought Jesus, he proved himself true. I remember my first few years in college I encountered academic difficulty. I needed God and so prayed to him asking him for wisdom and guidance. He reminded me again and again that he loved me and created me. He told me to trust in him and to not let my circumstances deter me in my relationship with him.

Throughout this time, as I sought God, he gave me inner joy and inner peace, provided friendships, and gave me courage reminding me that I was his beloved, fearfully and wonderfully created by him.

Another issue was isolation myself away from people due to the fear that I would be rejected and persecuted because of my beliefs. Thus, I began to isolate myself. I again was reminded that God created me, that I need not fear man but God. I was reminded again that self-worth was not based on people’s perceptions of me but in God himself.

It’s amazing to see the changes in me before I accepted Christ until now. People, who knew me before I was a Christian, knew I was timid, shy, and very insecure. I couldn’t love myself and thus, I couldn’t love people. I was in spiritual bondage, trying to find self-worth through my achievements, appearance, studies, athletics, and people’s perceptions.

God freed me from this bondage by reminding me that he loves providing inner peace, and inner joy. He has given me much courage to share his love to people. I have experienced a God faithful to love, embrace, listen, and accept just the way I am.

It is my desire and joy to share with others the freedom and love I have found in Christ, a love so strong that God would sacrifice his own Son for the sins of man.

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