LIVING AS FOLLOWERS OF JESUS (part-11)

WE CANNOT BECOME A CHRISTIAN AND NOT BECOME A NEW PERSON

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
(2 Corinthians 5:17)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever known someone who suddenly changed from the person
you knew and became someone you need to get to know again? It may
have been someone who was arrogant, overbearing, selfish and loud,
but now he or she is a person who is humble, kind, caring and unselfish.

How does that happen?
The scriptures give us many promises that are true, regardless of whether
or not we believe them. Some want to refute God’s Word as truth, but will
admit that it does have many ‘feel good’ messages.

When we believe in God, we believe in His Word, and we know the Bible
contains much more than ‘feel good’ messages. We discover guidelines for
living a life the way God wants and expects us to live (we learn about His
definition of the ‘good life).

Why would God give us His messages and protect the survival of the
Bible for so many years? It’s because He loves us and wants us to have
the best that life has to offer. However, we are required to make some
life changing decisions, if we expect to enjoy the new way of living He
offers us.

The world says,
    ‘we only need to be decent, respectable, and reasonable’.
That’s true if our desire is to be a member of the Great Society, but to
belong to the Kingdom of God, there must be an inner change. We need
to turn our back to the ‘old things’, if we expect to enjoy the ‘new things’
promised to those who are members of God’s family.

The word ‘behold’ means to watch, to view, to observe, etc. That indicates
believers will have something to look forward to; something new that we
have never experienced before. That’s a promise from God, and it should
be exciting for every Christian in our world today.

We become a ‘new creature’, with new habits, priorities, attitudes and the like.
Imagine the joy of exchanging an internal, selfish focus (in our efforts to receive
outward attention from others), for a new attitude toward others and their well-
being. Instead of trying to find delight in pleasing ourselves, we learn about the
joy of contributing to the happiness of others.

The Lord has given me thousands of devotionals (and He adds to them daily)
to share with others as a way of speaking to them (and to me). It is one way
He encourages us, assures us of His presence, reveals new things, helps us
better understand the scriptures, and encourages us, as we serve Him in the
way He has chosen for us.

Imagine the delight we can feel in knowing that God has equipped us for being
participants in His earthly ministry. Not only are we equipped with a spiritual
gift, but He also helps and guides us in our efforts to serve Him. We have the
opportunity to experience a new, exciting, and valuable purpose for living,
when we answer His call to serve.

As He prepares us for serving Him, we discover that from His heart of love,
God is sanctifying us (which is purging us of unrighteousness and filling us
with righteousness; it is a lifelong process, that requires divine involvement,
because it is much bigger than us and our ability to overcome on our own).

It can be difficult (and sometimes painful) to relinquish the things that don’t
belong in the life of a Christian. Many know the sinful things in their lives
and may have plans to release them ‘someday’, but keep delaying their efforts
(it’s like a form of denial for some). God knows our weaknesses and our delays,
so, He intervenes using whatever is required to break the chains of Satan.

There was a Communist in Hyde Park, London, who pointed to a tramp and
said,
    “Communism will put a new suit on that man.”
A Christian who was standing nearby said,
    “Yes, but Christ will put a new man in that suit!”

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – How has the Lord changed my life?
    – Have I become a ‘new creature’, or am I still clinging to ‘old things’?
      God has promised us all a new life when we ‘surrender’ to Him and His will for us.

As followers of Jesus, we can enjoy the pleasure and excitement of becoming
an encourager to others. And when we do it God’s way, we give others the
opportunity to see past us, to the One we believe in and serve; and if they
look to the Lord, they will know that our faith is genuine.
    “He must become greater; I must become less.”
    (John 3:30)

As a follower of Jesus, consider this challenge,
    ‘Look for an opportunity to encourage
      at least one person this week’.
This can be one step toward replacing selfishness with selflessness.

We shouldn’t allow Satan to convince us to procrastinate and think
to ourselves,
    “Yeah, I need to try that someday”
Instead, we need to make specific plans to do it this week. And just to
spice up the challenge a bit, consider, “encouraging someone you may
not be fond of”.

When we accept the challenge, we might be pleasantly surprised at their
reactions, and the way we feel personally. We shouldn’t get discouraged
if others don’t react in a positive manner. Instead, we should be pleased
to know that we did what God wants us to do, regardless of how they may
respond. This one gesture by us could be another stepping stone as we are
becoming ‘new creatures’.

We can see the message of this devotional/lesson on full display when we read
about Paul. He was a persecutor of believers and became a ‘new creature’ who
spent the remainder of his life sharing the gospel with many. We can see his
‘new self’ by his new attitude, focus and actions.

We can see his ‘new creature’ on full display when he was imprisoned for
sharing the gospel. Paul was chained to a new guard every six hours. But
Paul didn’t consider it as a type of confinement, but an opportunity. Think
about that; if Paul was chained to each guard only once, that means he was
chained to a total of around three thousand individuals He could share the
gospel with, one-on-one.

Paul felt that his incarceration accelerated the sharing of the gospel.
    Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has
    happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As
    a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard
    and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.
    (Philippians 1:12-13)

He also felt that how he responded to his situation would increase
the confidence and courage in others to share the gospel as well.
    And because of my chains, most of the brothers and
    sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare
    all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
    (Philippians 1:14)

Paul knew he had been made a ‘new creature’, and he wanted others to
have the same experience. Now, we can see the importance of becoming
a ‘new creature’ after we surrender our lives to the Lord. When we are
changed to a ‘new creature’, it can serve as confirmation that we have
truly become a member of the family of God, and a disciple for Jesus.

As ‘new creatures’, we need to realize the importance of praying for
each other. Paul knew the importance of prayer, and the involvement
of the Holy Spirit. While he was in prison, he wrote:
    “for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision
      of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will
      turn out for my deliverance.”
      (Philippians 1:19)

Prayers from other followers of Jesus, helped Paul to become even more
bold about his mission to share the gospel. It also kept hope alive for him
that he would ultimately be freed from his restrictive confinement, and he
would lose his fear of death.
    I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed,
    but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ
    will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For
    to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
    (Philippians 1:20-21)

Paul knew that he wanted to be with the Lord, but he didn’t want to shirk
his responsibility to fulfill what God called him to do as a ‘new creature’. It
was a confusing situation for him, but the prayers of other Christian sisters
and brothers helped him to find clarity.
    If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for
    me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the
    two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
    but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced
    of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for
    your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you
    again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
    (Philippians 1:22-26)

Did you catch that in those verses? Paul knew without a doubt that he would
continue to live, because it would benefit other Christians in their efforts to
serve the Lord. As they witnessed the life of Paul (which was fueled by their
supportive prayers), their faith would increase and they would have greater
joy in serving the Lord.

It’s the same today, isn’t it? We need to become ‘new creatures’ and we need
the prayers of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Without the prayers
of other believers, we can become discouraged and confused about what the
Lord expects of us. But through the supportive prayers of other believers, we
can become confident and bold in speaking out for Jesus; and we can expect
an increase in our faith, as we find more joy in serving the Lord.

As we absorb and meditate on this message from the Lord, we need to
remember that God will help us to become ‘new creatures’. On the day
we surrendered our life to Him and received His free gift of salvation,
He began His ‘sanctification’ process of purging unrighteousness from
our lives and filling the voids with righteousness. He also blessed us with
the presence of the Holy Spirit to help us embrace our transformation.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of the changes
deep within me whenever I submit to You and Your will for me.
Teach me to become less selfish and more selfless. Help me to
realize that I must become less so You can become greater.
Guide me in becoming the new creature You have promised
I can be. Help me to let go of the old things, and to embrace
the new things from You.”

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