Change, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Kindness, Love, Our Identity, Relationship to Christ, Restoration, Salvation, Strength

Transforming Love

There are people that we encounter in our lives that can change us. The way they act, speak, or deal with hardships makes an impact on us and we can become completely different than before because of that person. One splendid example is how Jesus changes us when we ask Him to forgive us of our sins and become our Savior, Lord, and Master. The Apostle Paul surely was changed when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. He became a completely different person and encouraged others to follow his example in following Jesus. He encouraged the church at Ephesus with these words, “I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,  and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19 CSB)

Paul showed what knowing Jesus can do to and through an individual because of the love God has for us. Paul went from being a Pharisee bent on wiping out every Christian he came across, to an Apostle, preaching the love of God and how Jesus came to save us from our sins. God’s love truly transforms us into people full of compassion and love for others. As Jesus lives in us and we allow His influence on our lives to spill over onto those with whom we have contact, that change is evident. People who have known us before we came to Jesus can see that we are different than before. The Apostle Paul prays for the Ephesians that they will receive God’s strength to allow Jesus to work in their lives, therefore changing them from the inside out. That can be difficult when Satan tries to trip us up and make us think that having Jesus in our lives will make no difference, but as we draw closer to God and focus on His will for us, Satan’s schemes can be overcome with God’s help, and changes in our lives will be evident.

Paul goes on to say that Christ’s love is without measure. His love is so overwhelming that there is no way to compare it to anything we experience between people. In Romans, the Apostle Paul tells us that God’s love is unmeasurable. (Romans 8:37-39) His love is unconditional. He loves us no matter what! Jeremiah 31:3 tells us that God loves us with an everlasting love! Nothing we can do can change how much God loves us. When we realize that and allow His love to change us, we are transformed, changed into a new creature, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 CSB) That, my friends, is transforming love!

When we allow God’s love to shine through us, it will in turn influence those around us. I’ve had people ask me, “Why are you so happy all the time?” All I could tell them was that it was because of Jesus. Others will notice even if they may not say anything. As we allow God to change us and His transforming love to encompass everything we do and say, it will influence the very atmosphere around us. May we each allow God’s love to transform our lives so that we can show that love to those around us and change the environment around us.

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Donna Knuth Rice

I am trying a blog for the first time in my life, and frankly, I feel like I don't have a clue as to what I'm doing! But, here goes. I work at a Christian Television network in the Correspondence Department, where I write letters and emails to our viewers, pray with them for their needs, and send materials they request. I am a Christian. I was saved at the age of 11 during a youth meeting at my church. My pastor led me to the Lord, and to say the least, my life has been an adventure. I am a widow. My late husband, Allen, passed away after 34 1/2 years of marriage. He had been sick the last seven years of his life, and it was a struggle, for him and for me. We met as part of a singing group that was affiliated with a Christian Radio station, and we sang together all through our lives together. We both worked in television and radio all through our married life, mostly for Christian stations. Besides singing I also play flute. I had the luxury of having parents who started out as music teachers...so music was in our house constantly. Some people describe me as being a loud-mouthed lime type...can't disagree with that. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count! I also have a tendency to say exactly what's on my mind...which is why I get myself in so much trouble! LOL! Trust me, that's something me and God have been working on for a very long time. I have no children here on earth, although I have a baby in heaven. My baby here is my dog Jack. He's a black lab/ chow mix. He's a big boy....thinks he's a lap dog! Can't think of much else to say. The reason I started this blog is because a few months ago in church, a guest pastor came and delivered a message, and when he asked for those of us who wanted prayer to come forward, I did. When he came to me he asked me if I did any journaling. I told him no 'cause I wasn't very good at it. He told me to start, and prophesied over me that my journal thoughts would impact other people. I wasn't sure just how I was to go about doing this. In fact, I was a little hesitant at first. I started journaling at home, and our assistant pastor's wife asked me to submit something for our Senior newsletter. I didn't the first edition, but something I had heard on Christian radio a long time ago and has stuck with me all these years, came to mind so I submitted an article. That article will be my first post. I don't claim to have all the answers, and my thoughts may seem a little "out there", but I feel God has been prodding me to do this, and so here I am. I hope what I post will bring encouragement, and "Something to Think About".

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