Daily Scripture Reading: 2 Collisions 5:17 KJV
2 Corinthains 5:17 KJV
(17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Today’s Devotional Is A NEW CREATION
TRUE CHRISTIANITY differs from what we see around us. It is summarised in orthodoxy, religious service, gifts, and deeds that cost little to nothing. Christianity is self-giving. It is even more than death. Christianity is about letting go of self-centeredness and being willing to give up our lives for others. The world is cursed by the spirit of selfishness and nothing will save it but repetition and filling up as much as possible with Christ’s sacrifices by those who claim to be His followers and servants. Selfishness can be destructive, but love that is willing to give even blood and tears can be constructive.
We must remember that Christ, who died and rose again, must be the ultimate thought and action of all words and actions (2Co_5;14-15). We must not live for ourselves, but for Christ, the Son of Man. When we live for Him, the bitter will be sweetened and the rough will become smooth. Then we’ll find ourselves living for all the men He has died for.
This is the law of life. We are a new creation. The most familiar objects in our environment have a new face. They have not changed, but we are transformed from our self to the spiritual. We move from the old sinful life to the new life in which the centre is Jesus Christ. Bunyan’s book, Grace Abounding, reflects this idea of the amazing change that takes place over all of creation and every aspect of human existence, as soon as the heart is filled with the love of God.
Notice the emphasis on 2Co_5/18. God was present in Christ when He took on the sins of the whole world. We have been made to love Him by His grace. God has also given us the ability to spread the message of forgiveness and mercy to everyone who is within our reach. “He has given to us,” which is to you and me “the ministry of reconciliation.” It is our responsibility to take Christ’s love into the world and tell others that it is a redeemed place and that God awaits their acceptance of His love and mercy. This is the message that Christianity teaches.
PRAYER for Today
O Lord, forgive me for what I’ve done; sanctify my past; and make it right. AMEN.