I love to read 2 Corinthians 5:17 over and over again. It reassures me that anyone, and that includes me, can walk away from the old self and become completely new and different through Christ.
New International Version (©2011)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
New is nice. New shoes, a new coat of paint, a new car, a new attitude, a new chance--just the thought of new makes you want to smile, doesn't it? As nice as new is though, something about it can be a little scary. Why? Because almost always, preceding new we find change. Now there's a word that can paint a weak, wry grin of hesitation across your face. The old has to go away, or at least be set aside, before the new can come. I find myself fighting the urge to squirm in my chair even as I type it. C-H-A-N-G-E.
The change made in our lives when we accept Christ and become a new creation is a good change. Who can argue? But positive change of any kind, whether in the spiritual or physical realm, is often difficult and not without pain and hard work. Thank goodness we don't have to work for our salvation: that is a gift of God. But accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior is not a magic wind that suddenly lifts us out of the mess we are in and drops us into that new and perfect life. No, we have to put out some effort to make the changes needed. What is the key to that newness the Bible promises? Empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to become new whereas before, we couldn't change and become new no matter how hard we tried.
I'll be the first to admit that sometimes casting the old away in order to have or become something new is so painful that we might start to wonder if the new is going to be worth it. Everything comfortable and familiar is traded for what seems strange and misfitting. Remember your early teen years? I do. Talk about a strange misfit! That described me perfectly! Those were some painful and confusing times.
Fast forward a few decades and here I am, smack dab in the middle of some hard, painful and confusing times again. So many changes--the world around me, circumstances of everyday life, hair color and body measurements, just to name a few. The greatest and, at times, the most troubling, yet possibly the most exciting changes are those that are gurgling and grumbling very deep within. Sometimes I look in the mirror and see a strange misfit. I keep staring, waiting to see the image of a new creation.
It's coming. I can sense it. A makeover of great magnitude. A new day is dawning! As I continue walking with God, He continues to empower me to cast off the old, and He continues to create in me something new. I cordially invite you to walk with us. The journey may require some hard work. It may be a little painful. Sometimes it may seem a little strange and together we might feel like misfits. But of one thing I am certain; the new will be worth it!
Welcome to my blog, New Day Dawning!
The change made in our lives when we accept Christ and become a new creation is a good change. Who can argue? But positive change of any kind, whether in the spiritual or physical realm, is often difficult and not without pain and hard work. Thank goodness we don't have to work for our salvation: that is a gift of God. But accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior is not a magic wind that suddenly lifts us out of the mess we are in and drops us into that new and perfect life. No, we have to put out some effort to make the changes needed. What is the key to that newness the Bible promises? Empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to become new whereas before, we couldn't change and become new no matter how hard we tried.
I'll be the first to admit that sometimes casting the old away in order to have or become something new is so painful that we might start to wonder if the new is going to be worth it. Everything comfortable and familiar is traded for what seems strange and misfitting. Remember your early teen years? I do. Talk about a strange misfit! That described me perfectly! Those were some painful and confusing times.
Fast forward a few decades and here I am, smack dab in the middle of some hard, painful and confusing times again. So many changes--the world around me, circumstances of everyday life, hair color and body measurements, just to name a few. The greatest and, at times, the most troubling, yet possibly the most exciting changes are those that are gurgling and grumbling very deep within. Sometimes I look in the mirror and see a strange misfit. I keep staring, waiting to see the image of a new creation.
It's coming. I can sense it. A makeover of great magnitude. A new day is dawning! As I continue walking with God, He continues to empower me to cast off the old, and He continues to create in me something new. I cordially invite you to walk with us. The journey may require some hard work. It may be a little painful. Sometimes it may seem a little strange and together we might feel like misfits. But of one thing I am certain; the new will be worth it!
Welcome to my blog, New Day Dawning!
If you followed My Dashing and Bold Adventure, you know I'm very accustomed to changes ushering in something new. Because My Dashing and Bold Adventure morphed into a journal of my travels and adventures while living on the road, and because those circumstances of my life have changed, AGAIN, I've decided to put aside that blog and begin anew. I will not remove my old blog, and I may even post over there from time to time, but it will no longer be my main hangout. Please feel free to go back there and read your favorite adventures and tell your friends to read it too. I'll still respond to comments you leave for me. I probably need a big piece of humble pie, but I do believe there is some stuff over there worth reading.