Change the world

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Have you ever thought, “I’d love to change the world, but I don’t know how?” I think we’ve all thought this at some point. Seeing the death and devastation affecting so many in this world makes us wish we could do something.

In the 1950s, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill told Reverend Billy Graham, “I have no hope. I see no hope for the world.” The reverend then said, “I prayed for the difficult situations the Prime Minister faced every day and acknowledged that God was the only hope for the world and for us individually.”

I believe Jesus shows us the key ingredient that will bring life to even the darkest places. We see this in Luke 10:25-28, “a lawyer asked Jesus ‘What shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘What is written in the law?’ The lawyer said ‘Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ ‘Right!’ Jesus told him. ‘Do this and you will live!’”

In other words, to love God means to have life without end. How can this change the world? God is love, and I have learned that what you love is what you will believe! You will have faith in what you love. You can have faith that moves mountains but if you don’t have love, you have nothing!

It says in the Bible the reason we love is because God first loved us. The Holy Spirit taught us this and I believe if this is our number one priority, we can understand the foundation of love and how to truly love our neighbor, as God calls us to! But we must listen to the first commandment, to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength! “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

We are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1) just like the woman in Luke 7:50 “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” Her faith in what saved her? A program? Herself? No! Faith in Jesus Christ saved her. Grab hold of this faith, understand it, receive it, and it will save you! God is love, which is why He sent His Son to be the payment for our sins! Sin is impure and cannot stand before a holy, pure God.

To love God means we will love our neighbor as ourselves and this will change the world one person at a time. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). What does this mean? It means the whole creation longs for Christ’s return! The world wasn’t meant to fall into sin, but it did and now we must choose to sin or not, to listen to Jesus or not.

If we listen to the commands of Jesus and love God, I believe we will know and understand how to love everyone, for God’s love is perfected among us. If we look to God and put into action His commands, I believe we can change this world in the blink of an eye! We wouldn’t lie, steal, or hate, we would treat others the way we want to be treated. When we stand up and make a personal decision to follow Christ, I believe we will experience a moment of heaven on earth that will change the world one soul at a time!

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By Benjamin Budde

Contributing columnist

The writer is a husband, father, preacher, writer, artist, musician and songwriter. Ben and his wife, Missy, reside with their three sons in St. Marys.

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