Hi, welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for the daily challenges. This week’s topic is part of our series called God Is… where we’re trying to learn about God’s character and nature through some key stories in the Bible.
Our daily challenges are meant to help you explore what it means to follow Jesus, even if you don’t have a lot of time. We have a rhythm that keeps us in sync, even if we’re not a community that meets together in person regularly. Every Monday we introduce the week’s idea. Every Tuesday we study it in the Bible. Every Wednesday we see how that challenges and transforms our thinking on the topic. Thursdays we try to apply and live it out. Friday is a day for prayer and reflection before we take a rest on Saturday, and Sundays we meet together with others in community.
Years ago, I visited a friend’s cottage, and he’d invited all kinds of people. Most I knew, but one was new to me. My only impression of this guy from the weekend was that he was an accident waiting to happen. He told all kinds of stories about his reckless lifestyle, and went on and on about how he rode his motorcycle at least twice the speed limit, and thought it was all great fun. He was intense and talkative, but about all the wrong things.
Years later, I met this guy again, and he was completely different. He and his girlfriend were married now, and had joined a church. They met Jesus, and he transformed their lives. He was still the same guy, still intense and talkative, but now it was about being a good husband and dad, not risking his life.
There are stories like this all over, of how Jesus has transformed lives. Sometimes it’s dramatic like this – a life of crime and risk-taking turns to a life of virtue. Other times it’s more subtle, but just as transformative for the person.
People have all kinds of reactions to such transformation. Some applaud it – they love to see what Jesus does in broken lives. Others are skeptical, asking, “is it real transformation?” Others are hostile, saying, “they don’t deserve a second chance!”
Question: Who have you seen transformed by a relationship with Jesus? What changes did you see? How did you react?