A Life Transformed By Jesus

Devotionals Has Your Life Been Transformed by Jesus? 3/4/2024 - by: Zack S. Mabe - Starting With Scripture Share Rev. Zachary Mabe is in his 19th year as Pastor of the Terryville Congregational Church. Scripture: Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 & John 3:14-21 (NRSV) Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble 3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; 18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; 20 he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. 21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. 22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy. John 3:14-21 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’ Reflection: Has Your Life Been Transformed by Jesus? John 3:16 is one of the most quoted pieces of scripture. But what do we actually do with that verse; how do we live it? Has your life been transformed by Jesus? If so, it seems to me that every moment would be a moment in which we would joyfully want to "give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever." (Psalm 107:1) So often I find that our world now is "spiritual, but not religious." I meet so many people who say that they believe that there is a God, but... what next? What comes of that belief? How is it lived, how is it practiced? How is it shared? How it is showing love to others, serving others, helping others? How is it doing anything beyond the self? That last series of questions is often met with, "Umm... I'm not sure." I often say that there are multiple types of faith, and at least two types that I often see. One type is what I call "hypothetical." What I mean by this is the type of faith that, when asked, people might respond, "Yes, I believe – hypothetically – that there is a God," and their life of faith sort of ends there; there's not much practice to the faith other than just a belief that God might exist. The other type of faith is what I call "trust." What I mean by this is the type of faith that not only believes that there is a God, but this type of faith goes further in that it actually trusts that there is a God and trusts one's life with this God and wants to live each moment for God because one feels this trust in their heart and trusts that they have been transformed by Jesus. A lot of our world, I think, is living in the "hypothetical" realm. I'm not judging or hating on that kind of faith – I'm just reflecting on the fact that it occupies a lot of our society. Not that I ever do it perfectly, but I want to strive to do better to live in the "trust" realm. Why? Because I feel transformed by Jesus. Maybe the "hypotheticals" don't feel transformation because they have been turned off to Christianity for some reason or another, or perhaps they've never been exposed to the type of love and hope we preach. Invite a friend to church! Let them see for themselves! I often tell people that the core of faith is not a list of dos and don'ts and rules and regulations and checklists and fear; it's – to me – simply trusting in God and joyfully wanting to respond to God's love. What about you? Has your life been transformed by Jesus? If so, how does your heart sing out to God? How do you live out your faith? If you're not sure where to start, start with: 1) gratitude and 2) invite a friend to church! PRAYER God, we place our trust in you; search our hearts, and lead us to do your will. We thank you and we sing praise to you! Amen. New Prayer Requests: We ask churches and church leaders to join us in the following prayers either by sharing them during worship, printing them in bulletins, or sharing them in some other way. To make a prayer request, please contact Marlene Gasdia-Cochrane at cochranem@sneucc.org. Prayers of Intercession: For the people of Ukraine and the Middle East whose lives continue to be shattered by war, as well as the many landscapes that are currently embroiled in conflicts . For those grieving or suffering due to the ~2,600 gun violence deaths that happened in the US since the start of the year. For the family and friends of The Rev. Robert Hamilton who passed away on February 6, 2024. Rev. Hamilton held Ordained Ministerial Standing in the Tolland Association and served the United Congregational Church of Tolland as well as churches in East Hartford and Stafford Springs. Rev. Hamilton also provided pulpit supply for churches throughout CT. Prayers of Joy and Thanksgiving: For migrant ministries. For opportunities to regroup, including praying together. (You are invited to participate in Pause for Prayer, Wednesdays @ 12:30, Live on Facebook. Add your prayers through the chat feature, and recordings can be found on the SNEUCC Facebook page or our webpage.) This Week in History: March 4, 1966 (58 years ago): Beatles member John Lennon sparks major controversy when his commentary on the waning importance of religion was boiled down by the press to a boastful phrase of “We’re more popular than Jesus.” [History] “Study the past if you would define the future.” — Confucius zack mabe.jpg Zack S. Mabe pastor of Terryville Congregational Church March 04, 2024