Spiderman and Jesus

I learned a lot about Spiderman this past week. That’s what happens when you are snowbound with your five year old grandson who likes Spiderman toys. I learned that Peter Parker was bitten by a spider and it changed his insides so he got special powers to fight the bad people. So he got a special costume and a new name that shows who he is now. He is stronger and better than he used to be, and he uses his power to help save people in trouble.

And that got me to thinking. When I became a follower of Jesus, my old self changed. I received the Holy Spirit to help me become a new person. Becoming a Christian changed me from the inside out. It gave me a new identity. And it made me more powerful. Because of Jesus, I will overcome the hard things of this life. Evil, sickness, pain, and sorrow no longer have the power to destroy me.

I too get to fight evil by helping people in need. Christians get to be the “hands and feet” of Jesus in this world. I feed the hungry, care for widows and orphans, help the sick, and befriend the lonely. As a Jesus follower, I am able to help alcoholics get sober, sexually immoral people live pure, mean people become sweet, angry people become gentle, and greedy people to become givers.

I help the hopeless to find hope, the unhappy to learn contentment, the restless to experience peace, and the rootless to find purpose. I do this because someone helped me to know new life.

Spiderman is a wonderful story that someone made up. The Jesus story is real. It is true in my life, and it is becoming true in the lives of people all overthis world every day. It can be true in your life too. You can become a new person with a life of joy, peace, hope, purpose, and power. You can then help others find this life too.

I can help you. Write me at steve@hopeforlife.org or join the blog discussion at www.hopeforlife.org.