Being Changed by the Blood of Jesus
“How much more is done by the blood of Christ. He offered Himself through the eternal Spirit as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make our consciences pure from useless acts so we may serve the living God.” - Hebrews 9:14
Do you remember what it was like before becoming a child of God? For some, it might be that you could not stop drinking, doing drugs, or stealing. What about not being able to forgive? It was very difficult to stop sinful behavior or to forgive. It was impossible before our conversion because our hearts were hardened, and we did not have help from the Holy Spirit.
As God allowed our minds and hearts to be open to the truth about Jesus, we have the ability to confess and accept Him as our Savior (Ezekiel 36:26-27, Romans 8:29). After that happens, God gives us a new heart and mind to obey Him (Ezekiel 36:26-27). The Holy Spirit is given to us as our helper so we can be more obedient, to forgive, to show love and compassion to others, and to be able to forgive more easily than before (John 14:26). We cannot be perfect until we die, but we are slowly being sanctified and changed by God each day.
We owe our new way of living to God and Jesus. God gave us a new life that frees us from being a slave to sin (Romans 6:19). It is all because of Jesus. His death paid the penalty for our sins. This is all God’s plan to save sinners. It shows how merciful He is even though we deserve punishment because “we all have fallen short of God’s glorious standard (Romans 3:23-24).” With our new way of living, we are able to serve God which will bring Him glory just like Jesus did by His sacrifice.
Prayer of the day:
Dear heavenly Father,
We are changed because of You. You gave us a new heart and mind so we can be obedient to You. We have the power to listen to You now because of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ death gave us the chance to live a life that pleases You on earth and later in heaven. We are a new creation and want to thank You for saving us. All honor and glory belong to You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!