God Can Change Anyone

READ: ACTS 9:1-31; COLOSSIANS 1:9-14

That person will never change. I just know they won’t. Have you ever had this thought? Sometimes, there are certain people in our lives who seem unchangeable, like they’ve just always been the way they are. They might be angry, mean, or just apathetic. We may long for them to be different, but it can be hard to believe that there’s actually any chance they’ll change.

But we can have hope. God has the power to change anyone. Through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, God has made the way for anyone to come to Him— all because He loves us. And, when we put our trust in Jesus, He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us live lives that reflect Him. The Holy Spirit never gives up helping us become more like Jesus (Philippians 1:6), so we never have to give up hoping—and praying—that someone will change.

Let’s look at Paul for example. In Acts 9, we see that Paul (also called Saul) was doing truly evil things, and nobody expected him to change. He was hurting and killing followers of Jesus, but when Jesus reached out and touched his life, Paul became someone entirely different. He not only stopped persecuting Christians, but he started spreading the good news of Jesus, even risking his life to tell others about Him.

If God had the power to change Paul—someone who was living a terrible life of violence—He can also change the people we know who are acting in harmful ways. His love can transform our angry family member, lying classmate, and cruel neighbor. Through the Holy Spirit, we can pray for these people, believing God has the power to change them. And we can remember how God has changed us—removing stubborn patterns of sin in our lives to help us love Him, love our neighbors, and even love our enemies (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14). • Emily Acker

• Is there anyone in your life who seems like they will never change? How can stories like Paul’s give us hope to keep praying for these people?

• What are some ways you’ve seen God work in your life to help you live more like Jesus? If you can’t think of any, you can ask God to show you how He is, and has been, working in your life.

• If you want to dig deeper, read 1 Timothy 1:12-17 and 2:1-7 (written by Paul).

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NLT)