Does Jesus Still Change Lives?
Scripture Reading — Acts 9:1-19
[Saul] fell to the ground and heard a voice. . . . “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
Saul was in for the surprise of his life. On his way to the city of Damascus to arrest people who were followers of Jesus, he was stopped in his tracks by a light from heaven. And he heard the voice of Jesus himself asking, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Then, after three days of being blind, the man who had been filled with hatred for believers in Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Jesus changed his life.
The same Lord still changes lives today. I remember a teenager who had joined with a Christian youth group on a weekend retreat. And when she came home, she told her parents, “I have become a follower of Jesus.” She had met the Lord, who changed her life.
It happens every day. Just recently a local church baptized 25 adults, most of whom grew up without a religious background. And a local mission that reaches out to people who are homeless often sees residents being healed from their addictions to become changed people.
Lives are changed through the message of the gospel in every country every day. The Lord Jesus changes lives through the message of the gospel—the good news that God forgives our sin and gives us new life through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus still saves today!
Lord, reach into the lives and hearts of everyone who needs to be changed by you. Lead them to find the help and hope that they need. In Jesus, Amen.
About the author — Arthur J. Schoonveld
Rev. Art Schoonveld is a retired minister in the Christian Reformed Church. Before retiring in 2001, he served churches in California, Illinois, and Michigan. Since his retirement he has worked part-time for the denomination and has served as an interim pastor. Art and his wife, Anita, have four children and nine grandchildren.
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