Word for Today, Mon, 17 Oct 2005: A Changed Heart, A Changed Life
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
Today I would like to share with you a message about one of my
favorite biblical characters. Jesus Christ is the One for whom I
reserve my worship and praise, but I have a particular fondness for
King David of the Old Testament and the apostle Paul of the New
Testament. David was a man who lived by faith. He was a man of
principle, he was, at times, impulsive, but ultimately he sought God.
David made some pretty disastrous choices during his life, and they
had some huge consequences, yet God wrote about Him that he was a man
after God's own heart. That encourages me, for I am a man of faith,
but also a man who has made huge, disastrous mistakes. I believe that
God can, and has, done something with my life, and I believe that
because of Jesus Christ, my life has been redeemed from the 'pit'. If
God can do that for David, He can do that for me (and He has), and He
can do that for you, too. Perhaps He already has, or perhaps He is
waiting for you to come to Him. If so, what are you waiting for? Run
to Him, face down before Him, confess your personal need to be
forgiven and redeemed, and it is as good as done. Trust in Him, not
in yourself.
Saul was a man who persecuted Christians. The Bible records Saul
being nearby as the first Christian martyr, Stephen, gave his
testimony and was killed for his faith. Many believe that Stephen's
message pierced the heart of Saul and that Saul could not avoid Christ
any longer. On the way to Damascus, Saul had a personal encounter
with Jesus Christ, and his life was forever changed. His life was so
changed that he changed his name to Paul.
When we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, our lives
are permanently changed. Instead of facing the Great White Throne
judgment, we face the judgment seat of Christ. Instead of spending
eternity separated from the God who created us, we have a home
reserved for us in heaven. Instead of living in guilt and shame, our
sins are washed clean by the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, which
He freely and willingly gave for you and for me.
How will you respond to all of this? Will you accept, once and for
all, that Jesus Christ is all that you need for the complete
forgiveness of sins and the entry into His eternal home.
Just saying His Name isn't it, though. It's recognizing that we are
sinners before a Holy God, sinners without excuse. It takes realizing
that what we've earned for our sins is death, but what we've been
offered as a free gift is life, simply by admitting and agreeing with
God that we have wronged Him and that only He can redeem us.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
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The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith
he once tried to destroy. (Galatians 1:23 NRSV Bible)
Why would Christ tell people to be born again, if there were no chance
that such a phenomenon could occur? Why would the Scriptures time
after time urge us to repent if repentance is really not possible?
In Galatians, Paul describes the change that took place in his own
life. He tells his reader that he "persecuted the church of God
violently and tried to destroy it." That's important for us to
understand. Paul, or Saul as he was known then, was an extremist, a
radical. If he had lived today he might even have been a terrorist.
And yet he changed. He changed so much that rather than continuing to
persecute the Christian faith, he became the most influential
Christian who ever lived. H e even changed his name from Saul to Paul.
He changed so thoroughly that this madman, this radical, this
terrorist became the author of the most beautiful writing on the
nature of love ever penned--I Corinthians 13: "If I speak in the
tongues of men and of angels, but have not love I am a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal..." Can people change? If you believe the Bible,
your answer would have to be yes.
Dear God, change me from my sinfulness into the joy of your
love. Amen. --Ron Newhouse
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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