Before-and-after photos always get our attention. We love to see how different a kitchen looks after it’s been remodeled and modernized, or how different a beat-up old car looks after it has been restored.
These photos catch our attention, because in our hearts, we all long for transformation. But while updated kitchens will eventually go out of date, and restored cars will someday rust, there is one transformation that is eternal — one that changes a person from the inside out — and it can only happen with Jesus.
One of the best examples of this kind of transformation is found in Acts 9. Saul was a persecutor of Christians. As a Pharisee, he hated them and murderously hunted them down. But then Saul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus — and Jesus changed his life forever.
Sign up to receive the Daily Prayer Watch in your email inbox each month:
SubscribeSaul went on to change the world, becoming a renowned apostle and authoring much of the New Testament, and his influence is still felt to this day. His transformation was so total, God even changed his name to Paul!
We’re so used to hearing Paul’s story, it can be easy to forget that it really happened. Paul was a sinner who needed saving, and Jesus made all the difference. It’s the same in our lives, and it’s the same in the lives of those we reach with the gospel. Every day, Jesus welcomes the lonely, heals the sick, restores the broken, and — most importantly — saves the lost.
What a privilege it is to be a part of this transformation in people’s lives, to be the ones to introduce them to the Savior who changes everything. As a friend of this ministry, you are a part of transformation stories that are taking place all over the world.
Thank you for making a difference that will last into eternity.
For the harvest,
Dick Eastman, International President