Read: 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Reflect:

While reading a bible story based on the third chapter of Genesis, my oldest grandson repeatedly asked why did Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit? Why did they leave the garden? Why did they choose to disobey? Great questions from a six-year-old, right?

Imagine living your life only to discover you’ve been heading in the wrong direction. I think we can all relate to that thought as we think of our lives before Christ, but I am thinking about the writer of the verses above. The Apostle Paul had his own firsthand knowledge of what a 180-degree turn means. After encountering Christ, his worldview changed. After persecuting followers of Jesus, he became the ultimate defender of the faith.

Like Paul, each of us has needed the same transforming power of a new creation, but we are incapable of doing it on our own. As the passage above communicates, it is God who reconciles us to Himself through Christ. It is God who brings the new and disposes of the old. God is the ultimate source of our change.

Respond:

As I read the verse above earlier today, I reflected on the change God brought to my life through Christ – a self-portrait of sorts. From time to time, I think it is a good idea to simply give thanks for a changed life, a fresh start thanks to the Grace of God.