Jose Sergio Presti

ME, A BELIEVER? NOT EVEN IF YOU PAY ME!

In my career all was going OK. I had many titles. I was champion twice in Sao Paulo, three times the runner-up, one time national champion, one runner-up. On top of it all, I received the highest consecration one could ever get - I was invited to play for the Brazilian squad in the 1978 World Cup held in Argentina.

In the National squad, I played as left-fielder in 1979 through 1981. In 1980 I was elected the best player of the year by the press..

If anybody talked with me about religion, I would reply: "What for? I have everything life could ever give me!" Oh, really? Did I really have everything? Well, I still didn't have a wife. I met Luciane and we fell in love. We got married after that. Now I had everything - with the small inconvenience of having to go to church with her once in a while. But that was OK; it was worth the sacrifice.

After playing for the Sao Paulo for eight years, I was sold to Santos. With Santos I was champion in 1984. But playing for Santos was not all that easy. In March 1985 I lived the worst period of my life. I was on the bench for the first time, though I felt I was in the best of shape. I was angry at our coach. I couldn't accept that situation, I got mad at my life. My wife noticed my despair and she gave me an idea.

"Why don't you invite Jesus Christ into your life? He can help you face this difficulty. This is too much for you," she said.

Those words bothered me deeply. I wanted to ask her how does one do that, but for some reason I just could say a word about it.

Two days later, we were returning from a funeral (Jose Ricci, a physician with the Sao Paulo squad had died). I was sad because I had lost a dear friend and also because of my personal situation. I gathered all the courage I had and I asked my wife what did I have to do in order to ask Christ into my life.

Her answer was simple but it hit me like a torpedo.

"Give Him all your life and let Him take care of everything."

At that moment I felt something strange and I began to weep right there, behind the driving wheel. I descended the mountains weeping all the time and I only stopped crying when we arrived in the city of Santos.

As we got home, I started reading "More Than a Carpenter" and little by little I began to understand what was happening with me. After that, I talked with Pr. Ary Velloso, and he explained to me how to receive Christ into my heart and how I could be born again.

After I heard him, I said: "What you are telling me happened two days ago when Christ entered into my heart as I was coming down to Santos."

From that day on, everything changed in my life. I was born again, and I noticed that I live in this world only for a while. I am heading toward an eternal life with God in heaven.

My career didn't improve at all in the eyes of the world. But I improved a lot inside, and God had been giving me a lot of spiritual and material prosperity, more than before. But I feel much better and more joyful now than when the press elected me the Best Brazilian Payer of the Year.

Today I would not exchange my life with Christ for anything in this world.

If you want to know how a man can be born again, read John 3.1-17.

If you would like to know more about Jesus and what He can do for you, just click the button on the left side of your screen to change your life.