New, More or Less

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

Can you imagine taking a pure and holy Jesus and giving Him a sin-stenched place to live? Yes, we first come to Him reeking of sin but when He comes in, He makes us a new creation. Clean, pure and holy before the Lord. We cannot "put on" Christ and continue to live as we always have. He makes us new. 

If you feel the need to validate the reality of your salvation, check yourself. Has there been change in your life? Are you perhaps more compassionate? More merciful? More generous? More loving? More willing to recognize and acknowledge the blessings in your life are from God? Less anger? Less strife? Less arrogance? Less negative emotions of life are also blessings. 

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for making us new creations in Christ Jesus. Thank You for the more and less in our lives because of You living in us. Birth in us a new desire for more of Your Word and for more understanding of it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Through the Bible in a Year
Reading for January 12th

Genesis 26:17-27:46 

Matthew 9:1-17 

Psalm 10:16-18

Proverbs 3:9-10

Advent - Day Eleven

From 21 Gifts of Advent by Janelle Keith

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

The Gift of New

...From start to finish, new life is something to cherish. There’s something sacred in holding a newborn. You beg time to stand still because you know you’re holding a miracle.

Jesus was born in a crude, damp stable in Bethlehem. Although the Christ child wasn’t conceived in a normal way, He was delivered in the manner that was common to all flesh. But God Himself wanted to welcome His own Son with the warmth of His Presence. And Mary’s gentle attitude also brought the goodness of God to a hard and stressful human birth.

Jesus’ birth was a gift given by the Father to give us new life.

Advent reflection: The gift of “new” rejuvenates your heart and spirit. As you make more room for Jesus during the Advent season, you can find a gift in the new thing God is doing in your life. God’s holy process adds renewal to our busy lives. Something wonderful from Heaven is bringing life back into your days.

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Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for Your Word that assures us if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! Thank You for reconciling us to Yourself through Christ and for giving us the ministry of reconciliation to help lead others to You. Give us divine appointments to help show others the way. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

All Gone

To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

Isaiah 61: 2c-3 NKJV

I think this may be one of the most often, overlooked promises in God's Word. We are quick to grab onto beauty for ashes - especially when we are going through a trial by fire - but do we fully comprehend what that means?

We tend to think that it has something to do with rising up out of the ashes, like the phoenix. That somehow God will take the ashes of our burned-out lives, our burned-up dreams, and use what's left to rebuild. No, I don't think so.

It doesn't say He will give us beauty FROM the ashes. It says He will give us beauty FOR ashes. He's not making something out of the old stuff. When we bring Him the ashes of our lives, He gives us something beautiful in exchange. When we understand that, we are able to better comprehend the miracle of being made new. 

2nd Corinthians 5:17 NKJV tells us, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. In other words, the ashes are gone.

Prayer:

Father,

           Open our eyes of understanding to see the Truth of Your Word. We give You glory and honor and praise for the beauty we have received in exchange for the ashes of our past lives. Thank You for making us new. Give us the courage and the strength to walk in it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

New and Different

And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
Titus 2:12-14 NLT

Ephesians 2:8 tells us that it's by His grace through faith, we are saved. When we grasp the fullness of God's grace in our lives, there should be change. That's what happens when we are made new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 assures us, This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 

Heart check - Has it begun? Are we different? Are we totally committed to doing good deeds? Does the world know us by our love for one another as Jesus said in John 13:35? Or have we become complacent, stale, isolated, diluted by the cares of this life? 

Prayer:

Father,

           We pray that the only extraordinary circumstances to change our lives come from Your plan of salvation, Your grace, and the measure of faith that You have given us, according to Your Word. We want to be a new creation in You. We want to be so different that the world will see You in us and want You for themselves. Help us to walk in the fullness of Your grace. We ask for a fresh anointing to rightly divide Your Word and gain the wisdom contained in it. Change us to become more like You, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

New Word

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

Are you aware that there were over 1,000 new words added annually to the Oxford dictionary? Even more surprising to me is this. According to Angus Stevenson of Oxford's online blog, "Each month, we add about 150 million words to our corpus database of English usage examples collected from sources around the world." They track usage and verify emerging words from that database. 

Okay, so you may not be interested in that little tidbit, but I find it very interesting that it only takes ONE word - one single word - from God to change a life forever. Are you ready for a life-changing word? Something new from God just for you?

Then you MUST do as Paul - focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. Oh, I can hear some of you now - "You don't know what I've done." No, I don't - but the Apostle Paul murdered Christians before his Damascus Road experience. Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. "You don't know what he/she/they did to me." No, I don't, but I know what they did to Christ. Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead...

If you want new, you have to forget about the past; forget about yesterday. Let go of all of it. You have today. Wait for the Lord. He's got your new word, and He will add to it.

Prayer:

Father,
          Forgive us for holding onto hindrances and burdensome weights of yesterday. We choose to let go of all of it so that we can embrace the New that You have for us today. Help us, O God, in Jesus' Name we pray! Amen