Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” -2 Corinthians 5:17
I have been doing a study into the gospels in the past few weeks, and one thing I have found amongst many others is that Christ’s presence in a person’s life is transforming. One cannot experience Christ and remain the same.
John had a reputation of being hot-headed; he was even given the nickname Son of Thunder (Mark 3:17), but towards the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth, John’s nick name had changed to the apostle of love. He was the disciple that laid his head on Jesus’ bosom at the Last Supper, he was the only disciple mentioned as being near the cross at Jesus’ death, and he was one of the first to learn of Jesus’ resurrection.
Peter, another popular disciple went from being a fisherman with issues in the faith department (see Matthew 14:30-31) to being on of the early church’s most fearless spokesmen.
The Samaritan woman spent several minutes with Christ at Jacob’s well. (see John 4) Through their conversation, we find that she was a promiscuous woman, but after her time with Christ, we see a transformation. She found it hard to believe that though He knew everything about her, He still cared. How could such a love not transform a person?
There is something truly amazing about experiencing God personally. It is one thing to read about Him and talk to Him, but when you allow yourself to experience Him, you become transformed! To experience Christ, we must walk with Him daily, look to Him in every situation, and learn to surrender everything to Him.
When Christ spoke with the Samaritan woman about her life, she probably felt overwhelmed, shocked, remorseful, e.t.c. Perhaps, she thought to herself, “This man knows EVERYTHING about me. He has probably seen every deed I have done, every tear I have ever cried, and yet He does not condemn me?” I don’t know about you, but that thought certainly gives me the chills.
Whenever I look back on the life I had before I began to experience Jesus, I find myself thinking, ‘who was that person?’ I was timid, shy, and quite insecure, but now, in Christ, I truly am faith-filled and confident in all that I am and have in Him! Anyone who has known me for a while can attest to this. Experiencing Jesus has been the greatest testimony of my life, and by God, the testimony will continue to unfold even unto eternity.
Have you ever experienced the transforming power of Christ in your life? Not the transformation that you try to convince the world that you have experienced, but one that comes from the inside out. One that changes your heart, your mind, and your life completely? If you have not experienced this, I challenge you to surrender to Him today! Like the Samaritan woman at the well, I challenge you to allow Him to remind you of your past, and accept His offer for a future, a transformed life with a new name. Do you dare?
Grace and peace be with you.
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