Changed into Another Man

 God's choice for the first king of Israel was Saul, son of Kish. He was a tall, handsome man. He was the kind of man that the nations would choose as a king. He was a mighty warrior, but not a very spiritual man. That is why God did a work in Saul's life. He gave Saul signs that would prove God had chosen him, and once Samuel anointed Saul, God changed his heart. (I Samuel 10:6,9) In fact, the Bible tells us that he prophesied with a band of prophets, and he was changed into another man. That is the work that only the Holy Spirit can do in the life of any of us. I pray it has happened to all of us.

When we come to know the Lord, the Bible says that we are born again. (John 3) The old person dies, and we become a new creation in Christ. (II Corinthians 5:21) The Holy Spirit not only forgives our sins, but He changes our heart. The change makes us want to do the will of God, and it gives us to the power to do it. (Philippians 2:13) This is a miracle. It is not just that we pray and receive Christ to have our sins forgiven and have eternal life. It is a new life. Christ becomes our life. (Galatians 2:20) We think differently, we speak differently, and we act differently. God did that for Saul, because He was outfitting Saul to be the king over His people. He does it for us, because we are the representatives of Christ in this world. We are children of God, so we have to have a radical change to show everyone that fact. If we have never been changed, we are not a child of God. That is the essence of salvation. None of us are perfect, but we are new in Christ, changed by His Spirit who lives in us.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 12-14.