Skip to main content

New Creation

             Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (II Corinthians 5:17)

            We’ve made it one day into the new year. I’ve started my new “I shall come forth as gold” journal. And according to today’s passage, we are new creations. Woo Hoo New! Except we are like Eustace Scrubb in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, trapped in the body of a dragon, and having to peal away layer after layer to free that new self. It can be a difficult and painful process, one that seems to us to take far too long.

Part of the problem is that our focus quickly shifts from being new creations and releasing that new self to pain and disappointment because the change isn’t fast, painless, and complete and it is often unnoticed by the people around us. Worse yet, if they do notice, they might not be as encouraging and supportive as we’d like. The old self seems so strong, and if we’ve had success then lost ground, the self seems even stronger and victory seems twice as far away.

One of the things I keep telling people in the homesteading group is to do what you can where you are with what you have. Given the fact that Christians have the Holy Spirit, we should approach life with assurance. But sometimes, we must take smaller steps. Sometimes, the step we can take isn’t what the experts tell us we should do. As an example, one of my goals is to get healthier and stronger so that I am better able to do all I want to do. Some would begin with requiring that I give up carbohydrates – sugar, pasta, bread, muffins, spaghetti sauce, honey, jam, and jelly…

I just can’t. And some would suggest that I’m being rebellious. But on the way to work this morning, I bought some almonds to grind and put in oatmeal, so at least I’m eating a better carb and almonds instead of peanut butter. And some might complain that by desire to eat healthier isn’t a spiritual goal, but if I am trying to learn to eat in a way that is in line with what God created my body to use, it’s still a step of obedience.

Switching from me to you – what challenges seem too big for you? Is there a smaller challenge that is a step toward it? How will you live as a new creation this year?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Pure...

            The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5)   I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) I’m probably cheating - or mishandling the Bible, but earlier I was thinking about love being pure and purifying. And hatred being pure and purifying. And anger…joy…patience… fear… jealousy… courage…lust… and other strongly felt feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. Today’s verse brings purity and love together, so it’s the verse of the day, but it’s not really the focus. That means my motive for sharing it with you probably isn’t pure. As you read through my list, you   probably thought, “Yeah” about some, and “What’s she on?” about others. But consider how much hatred, a...
Post a Comment
Read more