Dear Church of the Open Bible,
At Awana yesterday, we looked at the change in the Apostle Paul’s life from before he came to faith to after. It was a pretty sharp example of how God’s grace not only saves us from sin, but transforms us to become like Jesus. Paul went from being the self-described “foremost” sinner, as a blasphemer and persecutor to a servant of Christ, surrendering his life for the sake of the gospel (1 Tim 1:12-16). Such a beautifully powerful example of God’s transforming grace.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2 Corinthians 5:17
When my son was three and a half years old, we were having a conversation on a backyard swing. He asked, "Are there real bad guys in the world?” When I told him that there actually were, he said, “I want to fight them.” Being curious, I asked how he would fight them, and he said, “Like this!” and proceeded to show me some impressive kicks while swinging. “And I’ll kick them in the face!”
Then I asked what he would do if the bad guys were bigger than him and he couldn’t kick them in the face? “Then I'll pray to God and ask Him to turn them into good guys,” he said. And after thinking about that for a few seconds, he asked, “Can God turn bad guys into good guys?” It was such a great question and opportunity for me to share that God can definitely turn bad guys into good guys, and that it’s one of the things He likes doing most.
How have you experienced God’s transforming grace in your life? How are you different from before you began trusting in Jesus? Praise God for that today.