25th August 2025
A new you
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
We have entered the realm of upgrading the house with new flooring; the old had lost its charm as it lost the pattern it held with years of wear. I never imagined how it would overturn my life. I have a house full of things that we need to move out of the way, the old and unwanted need to be cast-off. How do we accumulate so much stuff? It took years to build up, but half of it needs to go somewhere, and yet I still cling to it. It has been keeping me up at night and the time for action is now close to the horizon, as the starting date draws near.
We did not get where we are in life overnight. It took years to create this old self, but now the new has arrived if we have accepted Christ in our lives. Everything about Christ is new to our character and way of thinking. This is not going to be an instant remodel, though at times we wish it were. It is going to take time to make these changes within us. Unlike how we are covering the old floor of our house now with a new one, Christ will make us new from the inside out. It is a complete job with removal of all the old first.
This new us, this new tent we live in comes straight from God, ‘a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands’ (v.1). Now that is something worth waiting for. Our old floor has lost its appeal. The old self must as well. When we realise where we have been and how sin was only leading us to death, it soon loses its appeal. We can only turn to Jesus for this remake; we cannot manage it alone. This is more than physical appearance, such as the world sees of great worth, this goes much deeper into the foundation of our lives, our souls.
This is what God is concerned with, the saving of our souls. To be the new me, all of the old self must be removed. I need to put on Christ, but I am powerless to do this myself. ‘All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them…’ (vv.18-19). Now is the time to cast-off that old self, Christ has already made the way available. I want all of Christ, and so the old me must be cast out to make room for Jesus. I am already loving the making of this new me. I like new. How about you?
Prayer
Merciful God, when we were lost in our sin, you came to us already with love and forgiveness to offer us. We did not even realise how desperately we needed you, we were blind to our condition, so you came personally to touch us and open our eyes to the truth of who we were, and what we had become. Your love is more that we can fathom, deeper that we can visualise now. We want this new us only found in you. Please help us Lord to cast away all that comes between us and you. You are our life. My desire is for you. I thank you God for this transformation within us. I praise you God! In Jesus I pray! Amen.
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Study by: Anne Gillam About the author: |
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