THANKFUL

Chatting with Jesus

Thursday, August 29, 2024

Lord, they are easy to spot. There is something about them that folks notice. What’s with these people? Hopefully, they are commenting about me. The psalmist wrote about them when he became aware he too was one of them.

“Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy” (Psalm 34:5).

Lord, you call those who are spiritually lost and have lost hope and are desperate for change, to come to you. An encountered with you, our risen Savior Jesus, changes them on the inside. This transformation of their inner man also changes their outward appearance. After committing their lives to you, believers say family and friends comment how they just look different. What happened?

The peaceful countenance upon our face reveals our peace with God. What the psalmist calls “radiant with joy” is really the love of God shining within us. Believers have this radiance about them because their prejudices, anxieties, anger, and other crippling strongholds have left town and God’s love has moved in. Before our encounter with you, those we once regarded as weird we now see as beautifully created in your image, worthy of respect and dignity.

Ezekeil, even though Israel rejected as a whacko, the prophet deeply loved his wandering people. He clearly explained how God’s power transforms a person

“I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Lord, your transforming power can change anyone willing to change. Put within our hearts that desire to change so our family and friends will ask, “What happened to you?”

Amen, Jesus,