Have You Changed? - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for other) April 2, 2024
Do you ever read, listen, or watch the testimonies of people who have encountered Christ? It is always amazing to see how an interaction with the Lord can rapidly transform a life. Drug dealers and users repent and become zealous preachers of the word. Thieves abandon their wicked ways to evangelize Christ to unbelievers. The sick receive healing and tell everyone who will listen to what Christ did for them.
This pattern of behavior isn't new. A quick peek into the Bible reveals that even in the days of old God would touch people and they would never be the same.
In the Old Testament, Naaman, a Syrian military commander, met the God of Abraham in Israel and became a believer when his leprosy was healed. Long before him, Rahab made a deal with some Israelite spies. She didn't know their God at the time, but had heard how He'd set them free from Egypt and knew she needed to be on the winning team. She helped the spies and was able to spare her entire family and others tied to them from certain death when Jericho's city wall came down.
Apostle Paul provides a key example of how God's touch can change lives in the New Testament. He was once known as Saul and was an accuser and prosecutor of Christians. However, while on his way to find Christians and have them killed, he met Jesus. That singular interaction changed the trajectory of his life. He spent some years studying and learning anew, reemerged as 'Paul', and used the rest of his days to spread the gospel. Every Christian since then has been impacted by that encounter as most of the books in the New Testament were written by him.
And here is what he had to say about himself, 1 Timothy 1:13 - Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.
That is the testimony of a man who understood the transformation he underwent. It is the statement of a man who knew that if Christ hadn't touched him, his life would have been a waste. God wants everyone to have that sort of enlightenment - to look back at the futile trajectory they were on and thank Him for the path of righteousness they now walk with Him.
Can you honestly testify the way Apostle Paul did? Can you attest to how meeting Christ changed you? Can you look at the things you did in your Before Christ (BC) days and rejoice that you are now in your After Christ (AC) era?
A true encounter with God must change a person. Abraham met God and left everything he knew for a foreign land. Jacob encountered God and walked away with a new name. The woman at the well met Christ and became a fervent follower, spreading the gospel near and far.
What about you? Has your behavior changed from your BC times now that you are in your AC days? Are there things you won't do now that you did before? If you say you are a Christian and you continue to use foul language, get drunk, be petty, gossip, and slander people, then change and the fear of God are needed. Today is the day to repent and allow the Lord to step into the driver's seat of your life. Let Him transform you for His glory and by His grace, so you can confidently point to how knowing Him is changing you.
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