“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)
I’m not who I was.
If you’re a Christian, neither should you be.
We are changed. We are made new. We are washed. We are set free. We are not the same.
How can we be? How can one encounter the Living God, the Lord of all, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Beginning and the End, the Almighty, the Redeemer, the Savior, the Healer, the Comforter, the Provider…and not be changed?
And yet…so many of the dead who have been raised to life, so many former corpses who now are alive again, so many who were slaves and are now free continue to languish, continue to struggle with sin, continue to fail to walk in newness of life. Why?
At the risk of being simplistic, I think the answer lies in our unwillingness to truly break from our former way of life, to truly, once and for all, be rid of it.
Like the Israelites upon entering the Promised Land. Go read Joshua…right now…go do it…and not just the Jericho part, the whole book. One of the overarching pictures there is that we have to completely eradicate the things of the flesh, the world, in other words, the old me and the old you.
Come on Newt, isn’t that harsh? Well, yeah. But what are the options? Leave a little poison in the bottle? Leave a little leaven in the lump? Leave a few weeds in the yard?
No. Get out the spiritual Round-Up, and go to town.
The risks are too great. For us, for our families, our kids, our ministries (and Christian, you have a ministry…everyone of us…don’t think people aren’t watching you)…for our cities, towns.
Yeah, that may sound like hyperbole, but have you taken a look around you lately? Have you seen the junk that people are in bondage to? Have you noticed the addictions? The pornography? The horrible things out there? And folks, that’s not just in the world…it’s in the church.
We need to be diligent to let the Word of God dwell in us, transform us, renew us, and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work of weeding out the things that remain from our old lives. And yes, if you’re still breathing, something remains. There’s some weeds to pull. There’s some things to get right.
I’m not saying you’ll be perfect…you won’t be. But church, let’s BE the church. Let’s be the city on a hill that can’t be hidden! The city that is shining bright for all to see! Let us walk in the light as He is in the light, letting His blood cleanse us from all unrighteousness! Let us be a light shining in the darkness of this world.
Amen?
So if you agree, go find what remains in your heart…and get the Round Up ready.
The Wading Pool 