This means"); document.writeln("that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is"); document.writeln("gone, a new life has begun! And all of"); document.writeln("this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God"); document.writeln("has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ,"); document.writeln("reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people\'s sins against"); document.writeln("them\'€¦ So, we are ambassadors of Christ, God is making his appeal through us. We"); document.writeln("speak for Christ when we plead, come back to God!1
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I love reading"); document.writeln("and hearing testimonies of how God has transformed lives. Perhaps this"); document.writeln("is why Mary Magdalene is one of my favorite people in the Bible! She was being"); document.writeln("tormented by seven demons when Jesus met her. That first encounter with Jesus"); document.writeln("was not only a testimony of the healing power of God to those who witnessed it that"); document.writeln("day, but it also changed the trajectory of her life forever! We can only"); document.writeln("imagine what her actions had been like before meeting Jesus, but the woman of"); document.writeln("faith we see after being healed shows her beautiful heart. She followed Jesus,"); document.writeln("along with His disciples and others, from town to town preaching and sharing"); document.writeln("the Good News. Luke 8:2-3 tells us how Mary was one of the ones who helped"); document.writeln("support the ministry from her own resources. We see how she had the painful"); document.writeln("privilege of being present at the crucifixion of Jesus, but also had the joyful duty"); document.writeln("of telling the disciples of His resurrection! Mary Magdalene had found true"); document.writeln("joy, peace, and love in Jesus, and she was determined to live her life in"); document.writeln("grateful service to the One who had set her free.
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Each of us has"); document.writeln("a story to tell. Whether we had a visible and extreme transformation"); document.writeln("from evil to good like Mary Magdalene, or God has changed the way we think and"); document.writeln("act slowly over the years, our life should be a testimony to others of that"); document.writeln("change and our heart should abound with love, joy, peace, and gratitude for all"); document.writeln("that God has done. Take a moment to reflect on your story and take advantage of"); document.writeln("the opportunities that God is giving you to share it with someone today!
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Suggested"); document.writeln("prayer: Dear God, you allow me to come to you just as I am, and I am so"); document.writeln("thankful that you loved me too much to leave me as I was. Your loving power"); document.writeln("continues working in me! Please help me follow you faithfully and serve you"); document.writeln("with a grateful heart. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
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1. "); document.writeln("2 Corinthians 5:17-20.
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The Encounter"); document.writeln("for today was written by: Crystal B.
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This and other devotionals by Richard (Dick) Innes can be read online.
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