“…when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” – Luke 1:44 (ESV)
When we consistently spend time in the presence of Jesus, transformation happens on multiple levels:
- Our character is reshaped. The fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22) don’t grow through effort or discipline alone. It grows in the soil of intimacy with Jesus. As we engage Him, we become like Him. Our rough edges are smoothed. Our selfishness is challenged. Our capacity for love expands. We start to think like Him, respond like Him, love like Him, not through striving but through abiding.
- Our fears are dismantled. Peter went from denying Jesus before a servant girl to proclaiming Him before the Sanhedrin. What changed? He had been with Jesus, the risen Lord. He had been forgiven, restored, and filled with the Holy Spirit. The fear that once paralysed him had been cast out by perfect love. When you genuinely know that the risen Christ is with you, that nothing can separate you from His love, that death itself has been defeated, what is left to fear? Not councils. Not persecution. Not death itself.
- Our words carry weight. There is a profound difference between speaking about God and speaking from God. The Sanhedrin (Acts 4) had spent their lives studying Scripture, yet their words were empty of meaning. Peter and John had no formal training, yet their words carried the weight of encounter. When you have genuinely been in God’s presence, when you speak from an overflow of love rather than information, people sense the difference. Your words carry authority that education cannot provide.
- Our limitations become irrelevant. This might be the most encouraging truth of all. Peter and John were “uneducated, common men.” They had no pedigree, no credentials, no impressive resume. By the world’s standards, they were nobodies. But God doesn’t need our qualifications; He needs our availability. He doesn’t require our ability; He demands our surrender. The same God who used the uneducated to shake the religious establishment can use you, regardless of your background, education, or perceived limitations.
- We become recognisable. The Sanhedrin “recognised that they had been with Jesus.” There was something about Peter and John that bore the unmistakable mark of the Master. In the same way, when we spend time with Jesus, something happens that others can see even if they can’t name it. They might not understand why you’re different, why you have peace in chaos, why you respond with grace under pressure, why you speak with authority. But they’ll recognise that you’ve been with Jesus.
Prayer
Lord, Jesus, forgive me for believing the lie that I am disqualified, that my lack of education, my past failures, my ordinary life somehow limit what You can do through me. You chose fishermen to build Your church. You used the weak to shame the strong. You delight in transforming nobodies into vessels of Your glory.
Do it again, Lord. Do it for me. Reshape my character. Remove the rough edges. Grow in me the fruit of Your Spirit. Make me more like You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Read: Mark 10:49-52; 2 Corinthians 3:18
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 8; Matthew 9:14-38; Genesis 24