John Struzzo CBN Contributing Writer

John
Struzzo

Contributing Writer

John began working at CBN in 2014. He and his wife have led a life group at their church in Virginia.

More from John Struzzo

More from John Struzzo

God of the Living and not the Dead

I am so glad that Jesus tells us:

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Luke 20:38 (NIV).

This verse comforts me, knowing that all of us who live and die in Christ are forever alive with Him. This has special meaning to me since my mom died not long ago from COVID-19. She was a woman of great faith and believed in Jesus. She is not dead but is truly alive with Christ.

Soon after my mom’s passing, my dad also passed away. Yet, he is not dead; he asked Jesus into his life and asked Him to forgive him for his sins. I had the privilege of leading my dad to Christ many years before his passing, and he is also alive with Christ.  

I believe the Lord has given me a picture of them together with the greatest smiles you can imagine. They are in the care of the Lord Himself—safe in His hands. I look forward to the day I will see them again.

I am so thankful to Jesus for giving my mom and dad eternal life. This eternal life is made absolutely clear in this very familiar verse:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

I would not want to be separated for one second from Jesus, and I can’t even imagine life without a relationship with Him. Jesus is clear that we have the freedom to accept or reject Him—in both life and death:

“I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” John 8:24

My heart’s desire and prayer for all is that we believe that Jesus is the one He claims to be, and so we will not die in our sins. Jesus says that our new birth is a spiritual birth. We are born again by believing in Jesus, the Savior of the world. The Holy Spirit Himself guarantees our:

Inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:14.

Amen!

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Scripture is quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Following Christ

I know what it is like to follow Christ. When we follow Him, we show that we trust Him and believe He will provide for us and fulfill His promises.

I know a thing or two about following Christ. Regarding my wedding and marriage, God let me know that the lady I was dating was someone He had in mind for me. He even let me know when we would be married and who He wanted as the pastor to marry us.  I am so glad we followed Christ’s lead because I had the peace of knowing that God was for this marriage. Beyond having this peace, by following Christ we were able to experience the fruit of following Christ—the pastor at our wedding shared the Gospel during the ceremony and we believe that at least one person accepted the Lord Jesus into her life that day.

I also experienced what it is like to follow Christ when I went back to school to get a Master of Divinity degree at Regent University. God let me know this was the school He had in mind for me. Although it was not revealed at first when this would happen, it did happen after about 28 years of waiting. I tried to go a year before God wanted me to go, but I didn’t have God’s peace. So, I decided to wait. The following year things seemed to fall into place for me and my wife to go. And we had peace about moving forward. We had to get rid of enough of our belongings (except for two items we sent ahead of us by mail) to be able to travel across country in our car. It turned out well because we were doing what Jesus tells us to do: let go of what we are holding onto here on earth to put Him first and follow Him ( OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ).

We learned about trusting in the Lord and how God makes our paths straight in a very real way. It brought to life my favorite Scriptures in the Bible, :

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV).

We were completely dependent upon God to provide everything.

Thankfully, going to Regent was what He wanted, so He had everything prepared for us. Just like He has prepared for you. We just need to move forward in faith and follow Christ. And when we move in faith, God will move on our behalf to provide everything we need to serve Him. How true is the Scripture:

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” ( ).

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Scripture is quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Going Where Jesus Tells You to Go

Life is full of making choices, doing things, and going places. What we have done, or need to get done, can keep our minds racing. We go about our day accomplishing tasks and try to squeeze it all in a life that is pleasing to God. Yet, do we stop long enough to ask God what He wants and what pleases Him?

I have been asking God to help me to bring glory to Him—a prayer that I would fulfill what God says we are created to do:

“Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:6-7 NIV)

When Jesus told two of His disciples to “go into the city” in Mark 14:13, they had a choice to go—or not. I know I have had these choices in my life as well. Even though I have fallen short at times in doing what God has asked me to do, I am so glad for the times I have listened to Him. My heart’s desire is to hear and obey Him more and more.

I remember a time near the beginning of my walk with Jesus when He asked me to go into the city of Berkeley, California. I was a student there at the time, living in Walnut Creek. I was strongly impressed that God wanted me to drive my car to Berkeley. So, I went. I began with a series of trips ministering to the homeless population. This went on for a number of nights and I learned that God cares for the hurting and homeless. He used me to bring His love and care by praying for them, being with them, and listening to what they were going through.

If I had not agreed to go, I would not have experienced the love and fellowship of God in action. Similarly, if the two disciples of Jesus had not gone to the city when He told them, they would have missed out. But they did go, and saw for themselves that God had a plan for the Passover meal and gathering—which would be the Last Supper with their Lord:

The disciples ... went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. (Mark 14:16)

Yes, life can be busy, but we need to make time for God. His direction and plans are more important than all the busy things we do and all the places we go. God doesn’t want us to miss “the good works, which he prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

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Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE,NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Rewards for Following Jesus

As a believer in Christ, the greatest reward is having a relationship with Jesus! I am so eternally grateful for this relationship, which I enjoy, but it’s not all that God has given me. In Luke 18:29-30, Jesus says:

“No one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” (NIV)

I can’t help but think of all the fellow believers God has put in my path who have been blessings to me. I have been able to bless others as well. I am thinking of one believer who has gone out of his way to pour encouragement into my life. We used to work together, but God called him to a new assignment in a different state. He still prays for me and texts me every Sunday to encourage me, share Scriptures, and let me know he is praying for me. He is a true gift from the Lord, and I have benefitted from this relationship by being willing to follow Jesus!

My life has been enhanced and blessed by having such relationships in my life. And they will never end because I will be with these believers in Heaven. Thankfully, following Jesus leads to the ultimate destination of eternal life in Heaven with Him. I so look forward to that time. Apostle Paul looked forward to that time as well when he said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

God has been so good to me, and He has been my provider. He even let me know that He was my provider when I was wondering why I had not made as much money as I thought I should be making as a real estate agent and why I had not been more successful. God clearly let me know that if He wanted to give me more houses to sell, He could do it. I received that message knowing that, ultimately, God is my provider.

For believers, let me encourage you to realize and count all the blessings you have in life that God has given you: you are part of the family of God, and you get to go to Heaven and have eternal life with Christ and all other fellow believers. If you are not a believer, let me encourage you to become one so that you may also enter into eternal life with Him and to be a part of the family of God here on earth and in the age to come!

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Scripture is quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.