All Things New!
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
It’s been said that God is the God of a second chance. I question that. I believe God is the God of another chance, not just a second one. If you’re anything like me, you need more than a second chance. That’s what I love so much about the beginning of a new year! It reminds me that our God offers us another chance! This doesn’t give us the license to continue in sin, making the same mistakes and presuming on the grace of God. But it does offer us the opportunity to come before a holy God, through the blood of Jesus, and find forgiveness and a fresh start! A new beginning!
Our verse today is a great one to memorize as you begin 2023. It offers us a new beginning, another chance, the ability to put ‘our behind in the past.’ (One of my favorite lines in The Lion King.) Chew on this passage for a moment. Savor its promise to you.
“If anyone (that’s you!) is in Christ, he (or she) is a new creation; old things have passed away (that means you can bury them and quit digging them up again); behold (take note of this) all things have become new!”
Now here’s the big question to resolve for this promise to be yours today. It’s found in the little word that makes all the difference as to whether old things will truly pass away and all things will become new. It’s the word “if.” “If anyone is in Christ…” For you and me to experience a new beginning with the promise of old things passing away and all things becoming new, we must be “in Christ.” Jesus is the power – not willpower – to begin again. It’s not about New Year’s resolutions; instead, it’s about a spiritual regeneration in which the life of Christ now dwells in you, making you “in Christ.” When the Creator, God, inhabits his creature, man, He makes him into a “new creation!” I love the way the Living Bible paraphrases this passage:
“When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand-new person inside.
He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!”
Begin 2023 in Christ. If you’ve not yet settled this question, do it now. Offer Him your life. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and receive His gift of eternal life, His life. He will make you a new creation in Christ! Then step into this new year as a new you watching old things pass away and all things become new!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.